Jun. 04, 2024 at 4:03 pm

Out-of-state donors funding Virginia’s U.S. Senate primary candidates

Out-of-state dollars are funding Virginia’s U.S. Senate primary campaigns.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions are flowing into the five commonwealth candidate’s coffers from all corners of the country. That includes at least $265,631 from Florida, $206,270 from Texas and $167,709 from California, to name a few of the states where contributors live.

Not much is done on the trail by candidates to explain to voters exactly how and where their campaign money is coming from, aside from brief mentions of small dollar donations collected through grassroots initiatives across the commonwealth when applicable.

So, how much of the money raised in the Senate primary is actually coming from Virginians? That answer is difficult to find.

The Federal Elections Commission requires candidates to break down contributions through quarterly reports. Individual contributions of less than $200, however, aren’t always itemized and can be difficult to track. And that means, the amount of money flowing into the commonwealth from out of state donors could be significantly higher than what FEC data has shown. The creation of campaign donation platforms like WinRed or ActBlue — conduits that funnel money from donors to the candidate of their choice — make parsing out that data even more difficult.

So here’s what we were able to find through data provided by the FEC, along with a look at each candidate’s personal finance disclosure.

A look at Virginia U.S. Senate candidate funds

Hung Cao

A retired Navy Captain, Hung Cao ran an unsuccessful campaign to unseat Rep. Jennifer Wexton in the 2022 race for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.

Cao’s Senate campaign has come under scrutiny recently after an article outlined the misuse of funds by a super PAC that he helped to launch in early 2023. That super PAC, Unleash America, was meant to support Republican state-level candidates in Virginia’s 2023 election, according to radio and news interviews Cao took part in, early that year. Money raised by the PAC instead went to people and companies associated with Cao’s current U.S. Senate campaign.

Cao has repeatedly attacked the news outlet that published the story instead of answering questions about super PAC spending.

Super PAC spending aside, Cao’s campaign is the current fundraising leader among the swath of Republican hopefuls. His primary Senate campaign committee, Hung Cao for Virginia, has raised over $2 million since January 2023.

Here’s a breakdown of those dollars:

Individual campaign contributions, itemized by the FEC: $1,044,589
- Most of that money came from out-of-state contributions. About $377,546, or 36%, came from individual donors in Virginia, according to FEC data.
Individual campaign contributions less than $200, not itemized by the FEC: $981,374
Contributions from other campaign committees or PACs: $9,752
Other receipts: $707

As far as his personal finances, Cao was paid $478,254 over the last 16 months by CACI Inc., his employer and a contractor with the U.S. government. He made an additional $7,731 from Six3 Advance Systems, Inc., also a government contractor, during that period as well. Cao also owns stock in CACI, according to his personal financial disclosure.

Scott Parkinson

Parkinson is the Vice President for Government Affairs at the conservative non-profit, Club For Growth. He worked as Chief of Staff in 2018 for Gov. Ron DeSantis, when he was a U.S. House Representative and before he was elected governor of Florida.

Claiming second place in the money race so far, he has raised $841,133 between April 2023 and March 2024 for his Senate campaign through Parkinson For Senate, his primary campaign committee.

Here’s a breakdown of those dollars:

Individual campaign contributions, itemized by the FEC: $555,085
- Most of that money came from out-of-state contributions. About $155,770, or 28%, came from individual donors in Virginia, according to FEC data.
Individual campaign contributions less than $200, not itemized by the FEC: $173,822
Contributions from other campaign committees or PACs: $105,625
Parkinson contribution to his own campaign: $6,600

Regarding his personal finances, Parkinson was paid a salary of $476,000 by Club For Growth. He made an additional $3,437 from Ebay. He has also invested in cryptocurrency, according to his personal financial disclosure.

Jonathan Emord

Emord is a constitutional lawyer who owns his own practice. He served as an attorney for the Federal Communications Commission during the Reagan Administration and has authored several books about politics.

He raised $808,722 between September 2022 and March 2024 through his campaign’s primary committee, Emord For Senate Inc., according to FEC filings.

Here’s a breakdown of those dollars:

Individual campaign contributions, itemized by the FEC: $188,651
- Most of that money came from out-of-state contributions. About $39,440, or 20%, came from individual donors in Virginia, according to FEC data.
Individual campaign contributions less than $200, not itemized by the FEC: $49,083
Contributions from other campaign committees or PACs: $1,000
Emord contributed or loaned his own campaign: $568,988
Offsets to operating expenditures: $1,000

According to his personal financial disclosure, Emord made over $1.2 million during the annual reporting period through his law practice. He also made $1,949 in publishing royalties.

Chuck Smith

Smith is a former Marine and current lawyer. He narrowly lost the Republican nomination for Virginia Attorney General in 2021.

He raised $509,949 between January 2022 and March 2024 for his campaign’s primary committee, Chuck Smith for US Senate, according to FEC filings.

Here’s a breakdown of those dollars:

Individual campaign contributions, itemized by the FEC: $170,921
- Most of that money came from out-of-state contributions. About $53,768, or 31%, came from individual donors in Virginia, according to FEC data.
Individual campaign contributions less than $200, not itemized by the FEC: $330,433
Contributions from other campaign committees or PACs: $0
Smith contributed to his own campaign: $8,000
Offsets to operating expenditures and other receipts: $594

Smith said he had filed his personal financial disclosure on May 31, but it was not available on the U.S. Senate financial disclosure site as of Monday.

Edward “Eddie” Garcia, Jr.

A newcomer to campaign politics and self-proclaimed underdog in the race, Garcia retired out of the Pentagon in 2022. A 22-year Army veteran and former ranger with 6 combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Garcia spent a cumulative three years in combat zones.

He raised $300,773 between October 2022 and March 2024 through his campaign’s primary committee, Garcia for Virginia, according to FEC filings.

Here’s a breakdown of those dollars:

Individual campaign contributions, itemized by the FEC: $120,234
- Less than half of that money came from out-of-state contributions. About $63,002, or 52%, came from individual donors in Virginia, according to FEC data.
Individual campaign contributions less than $200, not itemized by the FEC: $92,233
Contributions from other campaign committees or PACs: $1,305
Garcia contributed or loaned his own campaign: $82,000
Offsets to operating expenses: $5,000

Garcia made about $20,000 through commissions from Primerica and Catai Solutions during the annual reporting period. He has also invested in cryptocurrency, according to his personal financial disclosure. Garcia said that the $82,000 he loaned and contributed to his own campaign came from savings he built up while serving in the military, when asked by USA Today.

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Out-of-state donors funding Virginia’s U.S. Senate primary candidates

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