In Virginia, voters will be heading to the polls tomorrow to elect their new governor, replacing the term-limited Democrat Governor Ralph Northam. The former swing state has been trending Democratic in recent election cycles, but this election is expected to be the closest statewide election in Virginia in recent memory. 

Across the 10 states included in Transparency USA’s database, several prominent women dominated donor lists in the 2020 election cycle. Some, like Karla Jurvetson and Deborah Simon, targeted key state-level elections across multiple swing states. Others focused their contributions closer to home, supporting candidates and PACs in their state of residence. While Transparency USA focuses on state-level campaign finance, all of these women have supported federal candidates and causes as well. See those contributions here.

In state-level elections, the race for governor is the marquee contest on the ballot, setting the tone for the next two to four years in state government. And several upcoming governor’s races are expected to garner more attention — and be more contentious — than usual due to governors’ COVID-related decisions and rumored 2024 presidential aspirations. We’ve looked at the initial fundraising numbers in the 2022 gubernatorial races in the swing states. Even before the deadline for challengers to jump in, the incumbents are actively fundraising, with Abbott and DeSantis leading the pack.