McAuliffe announces huge fundraising numbers

In his mission to become Virginia’s governor for a second time, Terry McAuliffe announced Jan. 4 that he had raised $6.1 million in 2020. of that total, $4.5 million came in during the most recent reporting period, which included more than 1,000 donations in the first 24 hours after he announced his candidacy last month, according to his campaign.

McAuliffe ended the year with $5.5 million cash on hand from more than 9,000 donors, including donations from residents of all of Virginia’s 133 cities and counties, according to campaign officials, who also indicated that 90% of the donations were in amounts less than $100.

McAuliffe is the first Virginia gubernatorial candidate to announce fundraising numbers after the period ended at midnight New Year’s Day. The deadline for all candidates to report their numbers is Jan. 15.

While he did not officially enter the race until early December, McAuliffe is expected to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, thanks to his widely-known ability to fundraise, name recognition after already winning the seat in 2013, and the number of candidates facing him in the primary who may split the vote to some extent.

McAuliffe is in a field of Democratic candidates that includes state Senator Jennifer McClellan from Richmond, Former Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy from Prince William County, Delegate Lee Carter from Manassas, and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax.

“Ultimately running for governor is an immense task in Virginia,” said Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, prrofessor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. “In the House of Delegates, you might be well-known to one one-hundredth of the Commonwealth’s electorate.”

McClellan, Carter, and Fairfax’s days will soon be packed full of legislative work as the General Assembly convenes Jan. 13, limiting their ability to fundraise and campaign for at least 30 days. Carroll Foy took a proactive step in December and resigned her seat in the House of Delegates to focus solely on the campaign, providing just enough time for a special election in her district to take place before the legislative session begins.

“There is a huge ramping up that is required for any candidate,” said Farnsworth. “It seems to me that Delegate Carroll Foy did what needs to be done to maximize her chances in the primary.”

A recent internal poll released by the McClellan campaign showed McAuliffe with a large lead over the rest of the field, providing quantitative evidence that he is the frontrunner.

“The reality is that these candidates are facing an uphill struggle,” said Farnsworth.

The Democratic primary is scheduled to take place June 8.

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This article first appeared on VirginiaScope.com. It is republished here with permission.