Youngkin Rewrites Fundraising Book

With its sky's-the-limit campaign finance system, Virginia has witnessed its share of prodigious political fundraisers. But Virginia has never seen the likes of the money raised by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. In his first 15 months in office, the former private equity CEO reported individual donations greater than or equal to $10,000 totaling $7.5 million -- an amount greater than the last three governors combined. Recently, Youngkin has quickened the pace. On Wednesday, his PAC reported a single-day total of $880,000 -- more than any predecessor had raised during the entire first quarter of their second year in office.

Sources: The contributions in this visual come exclusively from donations of $10,000 or more that Virginia PACs must report within three business days of receipt. The visual considers donations reported by the primary leadership committees set up by governors in their first five quarters in office. The transactions cover the following periods: April 2010 – March 2011 by Opportunity Virginia PAC (Gov. Bob McDonnell); April 2014 – March 2015 by Common Good VA (Gov. Terry McAuliffe); April 2018 – March 2019 by The Way Ahead (Gov. Ralph Northam); and April 2022 – March 2023 by Spirit of Virginia PAC (Gov. Glenn Youngkin). The visual does not include donations to any other PAC controlled by a governor during the time periods listed. In addition, the donation totals do not include any contributions in amounts smaller than $10,000. Dollar amounts for past years adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars.