Campaign finance reports for local candidates for July 1-August 31 are now available from VPAP. Here are some highlights from the two biggest races – for Mayor of Richmond and Mayor of Virginia Beach.
Richmond mayoral candidates:
Mayor Levar Stoney: $250,295 in receipts; $232,391 cash on hand as of 8/31
Kim Gray: $162,040 in receipts; $175,398 cash on hand as of 8/31
Alexsis Rodgers: $122,402 in receipts; $148,676 cash on hand as of 8/31
Justin Griffin: $5,734 in receipts; $7,986 cash on hand as of 8/31
Michael Gilbert: $1,747 in receipts; $1,659 cash on hand as of 8/31
Tracey McLean: $0 in receipts; $514 cash on hand as of 8/31
Mayor Stoney is in the lead, but not by a huge margin over his closest competitors, Kim Gray and Alexsis Rodgers. To win this race, a candidate has to win the most votes in 5 out of 9 Richmond city council districts. Note that there’s no “ranked choice voting” in this race, so it’s simply a matter of winning more votes than any of the other candidates…doesn’t have to be a majority. Also of interest; the Rodgers campaign issued a press release saying, “The September 15 campaign finance report shows that Richmond mayoral candidate Alexsis Rodgers has the greatest grassroots support with three times the number of donations of $100 or less compared to top political opponents Mayor Levar Stoney and Councilmember Kimberly Gray. Additionally, Rodgers has not accepted any donations from corporations, staying true to running a people-powered campaign.”
Virginia Beach mayoral candidates
Jody Wagner: $136,550 in receipts; $170,112 cash on hand as of 8/31
Mayor Bobby Dyer: $45,825 in receipts; $59,318 cash on hand as of 8/31
Richard Kowalewitch: $3,000 in receipts; $129 cash on hand as of 8/31
This massive lead by Democrat Jody Wagner in the money race is great to see, as it’s definitely time for a new mayor of Virginia Beach, and Wagner will do a great job!
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