Kaine, Warner Pile Up Donations
Further Evidence In Va. of Strides By the Democrats

By Tim Craig and Anita Kumar
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, October 16, 2007

RICHMOND, Oct. 15 -- Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and former governor Mark R. Warner are dominating the race for campaign cash as the two Democrats step up efforts to take from Republicans the General Assembly this fall and a U.S. Senate seat next year.

In campaign finance reports filed Monday, Kaine and Warner reported that they each had more than $1 million in the bank, which political observers said was another sign that the state's Democratic Party is on the rebound.

The reports, including those filed by all candidates running for the General Assembly, underscore the challenges Virginia Republicans face as the state's popular current and former governors pursue their goal of turning the once reliably conservative commonwealth into a blue state.

Warner raised $1.1 million for his Senate race in the three weeks after his Sept. 13 announcement that he plans to seek the seat of Sen. John W. Warner (R), who is retiring. He raised half that amount during the first three days of his campaign, an impressive feat, because federal law limits donors to contributing no more than $2,300 to individual campaigns.

Kaine, whose donors are not limited under state law, is focusing on helping more Democrats get elected to the House of Delegates and state Senate on Nov. 6, when all 140 seats are up for election. Kaine's political action committee, Moving Virginia Forward, took in a little more than $1 million between July 1 and Sept. 30.

He gave more than $500,000 to 17 Democratic House and Senate candidates in September but still has $1 million to spend during the final three weeks of the campaign.

Kaine's money in the bank -- which doesn't include a $250,000 check he received from a Radford businessman Oct. 4 -- is being complemented by House and Senate Democratic leaders' efforts to raise money.

The Senate Democratic Caucus, according to party officials, had $851,889 in cash on hand as of Sept. 30, a huge sum that can help candidates in close races. This month, it has taken in an additional $330,000. As of Sept. 30, the House Democratic Caucus had $550,000 to spend on House candidates this month.

Charlie Kelly, director of Kaine's political committee, said Democrats' success at raising money proves that "people like the direction the governor is taking Virginia."

"His main focus this year is to elect more results-oriented Democratic leadership to the General Assembly, and the money doesn't do any good sitting in a bank account," Kelly said. "He is going to be working hard to make sure the candidates have the money they need."

House Republican leadership committees are outraising their Democratic counterparts, but Senate Democratic leaders have twice as much money to spend in the campaign's final days. A change in four Senate seats held by Republicans would tip the Senate to the Democrats.

House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) reported that his political committee, Dominion Leadership Trust, has about $660,000 in the bank. Other accounts under Howell's control give the House Republican leadership a total of about $1 million to spend to help its candidates, he said.

"Speaker Howell is pleased with the financial support House Republicans have garnered and with the success we've had in working to keep pace with the governor's fundraising," said G. Paul Nardo, Howell's chief of staff.

But Senate Republicans, who are trying to defend eight GOP-held seats that could be up for grabs, are having a harder time keeping up with Kaine and the Democrats.

The Virginia Senate Republican Leadership Trust, which helps get GOP Senate candidates elected, reported that it had just $42,000 in the bank at the end of September. The committee has taken in an additional $600,000 this month, half of which came from incumbent GOP senators, according to the State Board of Elections.

In individual Senate races, several Democratic challengers are keeping pace with or exceeding the Republican candidates.

In the 34th District, which includes Vienna and Fairfax City, Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis had $386,324, and her Democratic opponent, J. Chapman Petersen, reported $311,787.

In the 39th District, which includes parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties, Democrat George L. Barker reported having $173,000, compared with $92,000 for Sen. James K. "Jay" O'Brien Jr. (R-Fairfax).

In the 27th District, Republican Jill Holtzman Vogel had $213,984, and Democrat Karen Schultz had $275,734. The district covers parts of Loudoun and Fauquier counties, all of Clarke and Frederick counties and the city of Winchester.

In District 28, which includes Fredericksburg and parts of Prince William and Stafford counties, Democrat Albert Pollard had $109,440, and Republican Richard H. Stuart had $41,690.

But in Fairfax County's 37th District, Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II (R) had an advantage over Democrat Janet S. Oleszek. Cuccinelli had $293,844 in the bank, compared with Oleszek's $106,720.

The Democratic Party of Virginia had $175,000 more in the bank than the state's Republican Party.

In the race for the U.S. Senate next year, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.) and former Virginia governor James S. Gilmore III are considering running for the GOP nomination. Gilmore hasn't set up an exploratory committee. Davis started an exploratory committee Sept. 14. He had $78,000 in the bank, his campaign said.

Davis has also been raising money through his congressional committee and could use that for a Senate bid. That committee raised $222,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30. Davis's congressional committee has about $1 million in the bank.

Despite their efforts to prepare for 2008, Davis, Warner and Gilmore say they are all primarily focused on helping candidates in this fall's campaigns.

Gilmore has a political action committee that has raised $379,000 since July for House and Senate GOP candidates.

On Sept. 9, four days before he announced his Senate candidacy, Warner emptied the money out of his state committee, One Virginia. Warner used the state committee to give about $500,000 to House and Senate Democratic candidates.