WOODBRIDGE, Va. — As Election Day nears, one Congressional race in Virginia is attracting major donations, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.
The race for Virginia's 7th Congressional District is pitting Democrat incumbent Rep. Abigail Spanberger against Republican challenger Yesli Vega. The latest filings showed that both candidates have brought in millions of dollars in contributions.
Money Raised:
The latest filings showed that Spanberger and Vega brought in the following in between July 1 and September 30:
- "Spanberger For Congress" -- $2,215,438
- "Yesli Vega For Virginia" -- $1,555,877
The numbers show that Rep. Spanberger out-raised her Republican competitor by approximately $700,000 in this three-month period.
Spanberger's campaign received $1,680,684 in individual contributions. She also received $285,797 from political committees such as PACS. The campaign received an additional $245,149, which was transferred from other authorized committees such as the "Spanberger Victory Fund 2022."
Meanwhile, the Vega campaign received $974,628 in individual donations and $216,650 from Political Action Committees. The campaign received an additional $363,524 from other authorized committees such as the "Vega Victory Fund," "Yes to Yesli," and "Vega For VA-07."
These historic donations are indicative of the race's national importance, said Miles Coleman, the associate editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, a well-known election newsletter from the University of Virginia Center For Politics.
"It wasn't long ago that $2 million would be a decent quarter for a Senate campaign," he said. "And that just shows how expensive these races are getting now. And how high the stakes are."
Money Spent:
The filings show that neither candidate is sitting on their money, as both are spending at a high rate. The filings show the following has been spent by the two campaigns:
- "Spanberger For Congress" -- $6,265,693
- "Yesli Vega For Virginia" -- $1,379,353
The numbers show that Spanberger significantly out-spent her Republican competitor in that three-month period by nearly $4.9 million. The Spanberger campaign spent more than 4.5 times more than the Vega campaign.
When asked about this large spending rate, the Spanberger campaign pointed toward an August ad buy costing $2.6 million, reserving air-time for the last four weeks of the campaign.
"She's not leaving anything to chance," said Coleman. "Especially in an election like this."
Both candidates have more money to spend. As of the filing, the candidates had the following amounts of cash on hand:
- "Spanberger For Congress" -- $851,851.48
- "Yesli Vega For Virginia" -- $422,594.03
"On both sides, we're seeing it's very high," said Coleman. It's gonna be an expensive race."
Outside Money:
Candidate spending is just one part of the equation, said Coleman. Third-party groups, such as the Congressional Leadership Fund, have been pouring money into this competitive district.
The Congressional Leadership Fund, which supports Republican House candidates, has been filling the airwaves with a pair of ads, attempting to link Spanberger to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"If you look at the outside spending from third-party groups," said Coleman. "It's, not surprisingly, the third or fourth most expensive race in the country. It just shows you how much each side wants this seat."
Candidate Responses:
In response to our request for comment, relating to the latest filing numbers, the Spanberger campaign sent the following statement:
"Rep. Spanberger will be re-elected in November because of the support she has on the ground from Virginians, her record of getting things done for the people she serves, and her commitment to responding to the issues facing the Seventh District. Momentum is on her side, even as millions of dollars from out-of-state organizations try to mislead voters about her record. That won’t work.”
At this time, the Vega campaign has not sent a response, despite numerous requests for comment.