Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the Virginia State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the Virginia Department of Elections. It includes activity between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021.
Top fundraisers in the Virginia State Senate by party
The top fundraisers in the Virginia State Senate are shown below.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers were:
- Jennifer McClellan – $2,057,626
- Dick Saslaw – $613,575
- Scott Surovell – $356,005
- Louise Lucas – $334,969
- Mamie Locke – $316,030
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers were:
- Thomas Norment Jr. – $458,675
- Travis Hackworth – $346,783
- Siobhan Dunnavant – $267,978
- Amanda Chase – $219,296
- Ryan McDougle – $189,313
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $5.98 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $2.81 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, filing period raised $8.78 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 62 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 53 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top ten fundraisers during this period.
TOP TEN FUNDRAISERS – VIRGINIA STATE SENATE (January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021)
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Jennifer McClellan | Democratic Party | $2,057,626 | $1,739,872 |
| Dick Saslaw | Democratic Party | $613,575 | $179,075 |
| Thomas Norment Jr. | Republican Party | $458,675 | $174,461 |
| Scott Surovell | Democratic Party | $356,005 | $137,644 |
| Travis Hackworth | Republican Party | $346,783 | $291,116 |
| Louise Lucas | Democratic Party | $334,969 | $92,082 |
| Mamie Locke | Democratic Party | $316,030 | $94,713 |
| John Chapman Petersen | Democratic Party | $277,464 | $67,268 |
| Siobhan Dunnavant | Republican Party | $267,978 | $169,825 |
| Amanda Chase | Republican Party | $219,296 | $420,836 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Virginia Department of Elections. Candidate PACs represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate PACs. In 2022, Transparency USA will publish campaign finance data after the following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Semiannual | 1/15/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual (and Post-Primary) | 7/15/2022 |
| 2023 Jan Semiannual | 1/15/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.