{"id":2075796,"date":"2023-10-22T12:47:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T16:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-campaign-spending-affirms-2024-most-expensive-election-of-all-time-projections\/"},"modified":"2023-10-22T12:52:21","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T16:52:21","slug":"virginia-campaign-spending-affirms-2024-most-expensive-election-of-all-time-projections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-campaign-spending-affirms-2024-most-expensive-election-of-all-time-projections\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia campaign spending confirms 2024&#8217;s record-breaking election expenses."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvirginia-campaign-spending-affirms-2024-most-expensive-election-of-all-time-projections%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2075796&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Virginia&#8217;s General Assembly Elections: \u200cA Bellwether for\u2063 the 2024 Presidential Primaries<\/h2>\n<p>Politicos nationwide are eagerly watching Virginia&#8217;s General Assembly elections on Nov. 7\u200b as a crucial indicator for the upcoming 2024 presidential primaries, set to begin just three months later.<\/p>\n<p>While \u200danalysts will need to sift \u200bthrough data after\u200d Election Day to fully \u200dunderstand the implications for the 2024 elections elsewhere, one thing is certain right now: Virginia&#8217;s 2023 General Assembly\u200c campaign spending is on track to double \u2064or even triple the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uk-govt-warned-65000-illegal-boat-migrants-may-land-this-year\/\" title=\"UK Govt Warned 65,000 Illegal Boat Migrants May Land This Year\">record-setting pace<\/a> seen in 2019.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>If the\u2063 spending in Virginia is indeed a barometer for the 2024 elections,\u200d it will confirm the prediction\u2064 made by an\u2062 ad \u200dagency <a href=\"https:\/\/adimpact.com\/2024-political-spending-projections-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">that the 2024 \u200belections will \u2063be \u201cthe most\u200c expensive political cycle of all time.\u201d<\/a> AdImpact projected that\u200d campaigns nationwide will spend a staggering $10.2 \u200bbillion for the\u200c 2024 cycle, representing a 13-percent increase\u2062 over the record-setting elections of 2020.\u2063 However, some\u2062 experts believe this estimate may be too conservative.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3>Virginia\u2019s\u200b General Assembly Elections Drawing Intense \u200dNational Interest, Money<\/h3>\n<p>Published on 10\/20\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Voter Turnout Effort Leads to \u200dProsecution Threat,\u2063 Lawsuit<\/h3>\n<p>Published on 10\/20\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The political industry has long been captivated by \u200bthe voting patterns of Virginia&#8217;s bellwether commonwealth, which holds state legislature elections\u200d every November before the Iowa January presidential caucuses, as it often provides \u2064insights into potential trends.<\/p>\n<p>Virginia&#8217;s 2023 General Assembly elections are no exception. According to FiveThirtyEight, Virginia currently boasts the only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginias-general-assembly-elections-drawing-intense-national-interest-money\/\" title=\"Virginia's General Assembly elections are attracting significant national attention and funding.\">highly competitive state legislature<\/a> \u200din the\u200b nation. As a\u2063 result, the election\u200b rating service predicts \u200cthat \u2062Virginia will be the center\u2064 of attention during the 2023 elections.<\/p>\n<p>On\u200b Virginia&#8217;s Nov. 7 ballot, all 100 seats in the House of Delegates, currently led \u200dby Republicans with a 52-48 majority, and all 40 seats in the state Senate, where Democrats hold a 22-18 advantage, will be up for \u200dgrabs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Several key issues are\u200b emerging in Virginia, including the economy, abortion, and education. While voter enthusiasm may not be as high as \u2064in 2020 or\u200d even 2022, it \u2062is important to note that this could change. Furthermore, campaign spending, particularly by outside national \u200bgroups, is skyrocketing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Early voting has been underway in Virginia&#8217;s\u2062 Nov. 7 General Assembly election since Sept. \u200b22 in polling sites such\u200d as this one in Hillsboro, where voters here are casting their ballots, on Nov. 3, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds\/AFP\u200d via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>A\u2064 $300 Million Election?<\/h2>\n<p>According to a Wason Center\/Christopher Newport \u2063University survey conducted\u200d from Sept. 28 to Oct. 11, more \u200cthan\u2063 one\u2064 in four Virginians consider the economy their top issue, followed \u200dby inflation, \u200dabortion, and K-12 education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Republicans and Independents both prioritize the\u2062 economy and inflation as their top two concerns, while Democrats are focused on campaigning\u200d against Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin&#8217;s \u2064proposed 15-week\u2062 abortion ban.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, only 39 percent of\u200d the 800 poll respondents supported the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-takes-up-mississippi-abortion-ban-case-that-could-limit-roe-v-wade\/\" title=\"Supreme Court Takes Up Mississippi Abortion Ban Case That Could Limit Roe v. Wade\">15-week abortion ban<\/a>, which could serve as a warning for\u200b candidates who endorse it.<\/p>\n<p>The poll reveals a\u200d highly competitive landscape, with 42 percent of respondents indicating they will vote Democrat, 41\u2063 percent\u2063 Republican, and 17 percent\u200b undecided. However, the ultimate outcome will depend\u2063 on voter turnout.<\/p>\n<p>Turnout is a \u200bcrucial factor, and there are indications that it may mirror the pattern observed in Louisiana&#8217;s Oct. 14 &#8220;jungle primary.&#8221; Despite having races for governor and eight <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kansas-abortion-amendment-spurs-registrations-projections-of-record-aug-2-primary-tally\/\" title=\"Kansas Abortion Amendment Spurs Registrations, Projections of Record Aug. 2 Primary Tally\">proposed constitutional amendments<\/a> on the \u2063ballot, Louisiana experienced its lowest turnout in\u200b a dozen\u200b years\u200c during the fall 2023 election. Democrats, in particular, showed a\u200c lack of engagement.<\/p>\n<p>If\u200b early voting trends in Virginia from\u200b Sept. 22 to Nov. 4 persist, turnout may fall below the 42.4 percent recorded in the 2019 General Assembly elections, which \u200dis significantly lower\u2064 than the\u200d 75 percent turnout in 2020 and the nearly 50 percent in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>However, with\u2062 same-day registration voting via provisional ballot allowed since 2022, \u2064there is \u200ca possibility of a surge in turnout beyond the \u200c6.1 million registered voters in Virginia\u200b as of Oct. 1.<\/p>\n<p>What is certain is that a substantial amount \u200cof money is being spent on the campaigns. According to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), OpenSecrets, and the Virginia Center for Investigative\u200d Journalism\u200c (VCIJ),\u2064 candidates for the General Assembly and state-registered PACs \u2063have raised over\u200d $54.5 million as\u2062 of Sept. 12.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2063 is more challenging to track the millions pouring into\u2062 state PACs and issue-oriented entities from national organizations, as \u200cVirginia law does not require 501(c)(4) nonprofits to disclose their donors.<\/p>\n<p>The general consensus\u2064 is that campaign spending, including contributions from campaigns, PACs, and interest groups, will ultimately exceed\u2063 $100 million, more than double \u200bthe amount \u200dspent in the 2019 General Assembly elections. Some estimates even suggest that \u200celection spending directed towards 2023 since 2019 could reach between \u200b$200 million and $300 million, doubling or even tripling the amount spent in \u200cthe 2015-19\u200d cycle.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Virginia General Assembly House of Delegates\u2063 chamber in session in Richmond, Va., on Feb. 23, 2023. (Courtesy of Vision Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>&#8216;Outsiders&#8217; Spending Big<\/h2>\n<p>As of mid-September, Democrats have outpaced their Republican opponents in fundraising for the most competitive \u2063House\u2062 and Senate district \u2062races.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Out of the $13.13 million raised by 134 Senate candidates, Democrats have \u2063collected $8.12 million, while Republicans have \u200braised $4.857 million.<\/p>\n<p>In the House, 309 candidates have raised nearly \u200d$13.35 million, with Democrats\u2064 receiving $7.5 million and Republicans $5.7 million.<\/p>\n<p>State-registered PACs have reported contributions of nearly $28 million by mid-September. Notably,\u200c Gov.\u200b Glenn\u200b Youngkin&#8217;s Spirit of Virginia PAC has contributed $3.8\u2062 million \u200cto Republican \u200dcampaigns between July 1 and Sept. \u206215. The PAC had already\u2064 raised over $12 million by\u2063 mid-summer, and during an &#8220;Red Vest Fundraiser&#8221; on Oct.\u200c 16-17, donors added another $4.4 million to Spirit of Virginia&#8217;s funds.<\/p>\n<p>While Mr. Youngkin may not be on the \u200cballot, he \u2064is actively supporting Republican candidates both financially and on the campaign trail, advocating for his &#8220;moderate&#8221; 15-week abortion ban. Other notable PAC \u200bdonations include Dominion Energy\u200d with $2.385 million, \u2063Clean \u200bVirginia Fund with\u2064 $3 million, Planned Parenthood VA with $1 million, and League \u200cof Conservation Voters \u2063with $800,000.<\/p>\n<p>Virginia&#8217;s Republican Commonwealth Leadership PAC has contributed $1.4 \u2064million to campaigns, while Democrats have received nearly $4 million from national organizations. \u200cThe Democratic National Committee (DNC) has\u2063 committed $1.5\u2063 million, including $1.2 million between July 1 and Sept.\u200b 15, and the \u2062Democratic Legislative\u200c Campaign Committee has contributed at \u2062least $2.2 million.<\/p>\n<p>However, these numbers only scratch the surface. According to OpenSecrets,\u200c VCIJ, and \u200bVPAP, untraceable &#8220;dark money&#8221; that falls below the state&#8217;s disclosure requirements is \u2064flowing into state-based \u2063PACs from wealthy individual donors\u2064 and national organizations who view Virginia&#8217;s \u200bNov. 7 election as a rehearsal for their tactics and \u200bstrategies in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Americans \u2063for Prosperity, the conservative\u200b nonprofit founded by the\u2064 Koch brothers, \u2064has injected over $1 million into 17\u2063 Republican \u2063campaigns, with two GOP \u2063Senate candidates\u2062 receiving nearly $221,000 and $179,000, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>The American Federation for Children,\u200c which spent $9 million on state elections in 2022 to support school choice candidates, has contributed\u2062 around $400,000 to\u2064 its Virginia chapter \u2064for select candidates in the \u2064primary and is expected to match that \u200damount in the general election to advocate for school\u200d choice.<\/p>\n<p>Forward Majority Action, \u200ba\u2062 nationwide PAC focused\u2063 on\u2062 fair democracy, \u2062has distributed at least $241,000 to predominantly Democratic candidates running in House races.\u200c In June, the group received $2.5 million in donations, including $535,000 from billionaire hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel, to support Virginia&#8217;s elections.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Why \u200bis Virginia&#8217;s status as a political bellwether significant in relation \u200dto the upcoming 2024 presidential primaries?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  The significance of Virginia&#8217;s General\u2064 Assembly \u2063elections is not limited\u2062 to the state itself but extends to the broader political \u200blandscape of the United States.\u2063 With the 2024 presidential\u2064 primaries\u200c approaching,\u2062 political analysts are closely observing the outcomes\u200d of\u200d these elections \u2063on November 7th, as\u200d they are expected\u200d to serve as a bellwether for the primaries.<\/p>\n<p>One notable aspect that has caught the\u2062 attention of experts is the unprecedented campaign \u200dspending in\u2064 Virginia&#8217;s 2023 General Assembly elections. \u2064It is projected that the spending will surpass the record-setting pace \u2064witnessed in 2019, potentially\u2062 doubling or even tripling it. If this pattern holds true, it \u2063will corroborate\u2062 the prediction made by an advertising agency that the \u20642024 elections will be the most expensive political cycle in\u200c history. AdImpact projected a staggering \u200b$10.2 billion in campaign spending nationwide for the 2024 cycle, \u2063representing a 13-percent increase over the 2020\u200b elections which already \u200dset a record. However, some \u2064experts\u200d speculate that this\u200d estimate may be too conservative, suggesting that the actual expenditure could \u200bbe \u2063even higher.<\/p>\n<p>Virginia&#8217;s status as a political bellwether is not new. The state&#8217;s voting patterns and outcomes have often provided valuable insights into \u2062potential \u2062trends for the broader political landscape. This is particularly significant\u2062 as Virginia \u2062holds its state legislature elections every November \u200bahead of \u200bthe Iowa January presidential caucuses. Therefore, the\u2063 elections in Virginia tend to set the stage for the \u2063mood and potential patterns in the upcoming primaries.<\/p>\n<p>This year&#8217;s General Assembly elections in Virginia have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-campaign-spending-affirms-2024-most-expensive-election-of-all-time-projections\/\" title=\"Virginia campaign spending confirms 2024's record-breaking election expenses.\">garnered intense national interest<\/a> and attention \u200cdue \u200dto \u200dseveral\u200b factors.\u200c FiveThirtyEight reports that Virginia currently possesses the only \u200dhighly competitive state legislature in the country. Consequently, the election\u200d rating service \u200cpredicts \u2062that Virginia will be the center of attention during the\u200d 2023 elections. On November 7th, all 100 seats in the\u2062 House of \u2064Delegates, currently led by Republicans with a 52-48 majority, and\u200d all 40 seats in the state Senate, where\u2062 Democrats hold a 22-18 advantage,\u2064 will be up for grabs.<\/p>\n<p>Several key\u200c issues\u200c have emerged as central to these elections in Virginia.\u2064 The economy, abortion, \u200band education have taken the \u2062spotlight, shaping the\u200d campaigns and inspiring public discourse. While voter enthusiasm may not currently match the levels seen in 2020 or\u200b 2022, it is important \u2063to\u2064 note that this could change as the\u200b election \u200cdraws \u200dnearer. Moreover, campaign spending, particularly by outside national groups, has seen an unprecedented rise, reflecting the significance \u2062placed on these elections.<\/p>\n<p>In\u200b conclusion, Virginia&#8217;s General \u200cAssembly elections on November 7th serve as a\u200b crucial indicator \u2063for the \u2063upcoming 2024 presidential primaries. \u200cThe \u2062projected campaign spending\u2062 in Virginia\u200c and the level of interest\u200c generated by these elections highlight their potential impact on the broader political landscape. As the most expensive political cycle in history looms, Virginia&#8217;s outcomes will provide \u200dimportant insights into the trends and patterns\u200c that the nation can expect in the \u2062upcoming \u2063primaries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General Assembly elections on Nov. 7 are being closely observed by politicians across the country. These elections are seen as a predictor for the 2024 presidential primaries, which follow three months later. The impact of Virginia&#8217;s races on the 2024 elections elsewhere will only be clear after analyzing post-election data. However, it is certain that Virginia&#8217;s elections hold significance at present.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":509,"featured_media":2075797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2075796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075796"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075796\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2075797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}