With one more year until the midterm elections, Election Day 2021 is being defined in large part by the governor’s race in Virginia. Though Virginia has leaned Democratic in recent years, the race between former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin is tight — and many pundits argue that the results may forecast, or even impact, which party will control the U.S. Congress after next year.
With so much at stake, money is flooding into the Virginia gubernatorial race from around the country. As of Oct. 21, McAuliffe had raised some $57.4 million and Youngkinn $57.7 million, according to financial disclosures. And nearly one in every five dollars raised by these campaigns has come in from out of state, according to watchdog group The Virginia Public Access Project.
To better understand exactly who is funding the campaigns of the candidates vying for The Virginia Governor’s Mansion, 24/7 Wall St. used VPAP data to rank the top donors to the race. We also noted where these donors are from as well as who they work for or what political interest they are associated with. Only donors who have contributed more than $250,000 were considered.
Though the candidate’s finances are closely aligned, McAuliffe has far more donors on this list than Youngkinn. Much of Youngkinn’s fundraising — $20 million to be exact — has come from his own personal fortune. Other donors on this list include advocacy groups, political action committees, labor unions, wealthy individuals, and the two major political parties themselves.
As of late October, McAuliffe outspent Youngkinn on advertising across all media types at $30.8 million compared to $29.6 million. Most of the ad funds have been spent on broadcast television ads.
Click here to see why money is poring into the Virginia election from around the country
To identify the top donors to the Virginia governor’s race, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed campaign contributions compiled by The Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit watchdog group. Donors are ranked by their total campaign contributions. Only contributions to the 2021 gubernatorial campaigns of Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin and Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe were considered. Contributions are current as of Oct. 21, 2021. It is important to note that VPAP does not catalogue all forms of donations and applies certain exclusions regarding data collection.
Source: KateAmory / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
30. Sanjay Govil
> Amount donated: $258,400
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor employer and industry: Infinite Computer Solutions, Information technology
> Donor location: Potomac, MD
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29. Pete Snyder
> Amount donated: $260,000
> Recipient: Glenn Youngkin, Republican Party
> Donor employer and industry: Disruptor Capital, Investment banking
> Donor location: Charlottesville, VA
28. Democratic National Committee
> Amount donated: $271,111
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Political party
> Donor location: Washington, DC
Source: Kate Magee Joyce for Glenn Youngkin from Virginia, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
27. Roger Wayne Jones
> Amount donated: $300,000
> Recipient: Glenn Youngkin, Republican Party
> Donor employer and industry: Strong Home Mortgage, Mortgage lender
> Donor location: Nokesville, VA
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Source: Shealah Craighead, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
26. Robert L Johnson
> Amount donated: $300,000
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor employer and industry: RLJ Companies, Private equity
> Donor location: Bethesda, MD
25. American Federation of Teachers
> Amount donated: $300,000
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labor – public sector
> Donor location: Washington, DC
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Source: Glenn Youngkin from Virginia, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
24. Richard Baxter Gilliam
> Amount donated: $300,000
> Recipient: Glenn Youngkin, Republican Party
> Donor industry: Coal mining
> Donor location: Keswick, VA
23. Planned Parenthood Action Fund
> Amount donated: $334,894
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Abortion rights
> Donor location: Washington, DC
Source: Lycamobile, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
22. LYCATEL LLC
> Amount donated: $350,000
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor industry: Telecom
> Donor location: Newark, NJ
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Source: UFCW / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
21. United Food & Commercial Workers
> Amount donated: $350,000
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labor
> Donor location: Washington, DC
20. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
> Amount donated: $350,000
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labor
> Donor location: Washington, DC
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Source: United Association / http://www.ua.org/images/top_1.gif / Wikimedia Commons
19. United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry
> Amount donated: $400,000
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labor
> Donor location: Annapolis, MD
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Source: Michael Davidson for Terry McAuliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
18. National Education Association
> Amount donated: $400,000
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labor – public sector
> Donor location: Washington, DC
Source: JHVEPhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
17. Laborers’ International Union of North America
> Amount donated: $520,000
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labor
> Donor location: Camp Springs, MD
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Source: Planned Parenthood, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
16. Planned Parenthood Va
> Amount donated: $532,283
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Abortion rights
> Donor location: Richmond, VA
Source: Edward Kimmel from Takoma Park, MD, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
15. SEIU Committee on Political Education
> Amount donated: $580,199
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labo[d]r
> Donor location: Washington, DC
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14. American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees
> Amount donated: $635,929
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labor – public sector
> Donor location: Washington, DC
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Source: Priorities USA Action, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
13. Priorities USA Action
> Amount donated: $638,500
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Democratic advocacy
> Donor location: Washington, DC
Source: Courtesy of Virginia Leaugue of Conservation Voters
12. Va League of Conservation Voters
> Amount donated: $650,000
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Environmental
> Donor location: Richmond, VA
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Source: Michael Davidson for Terry McAuliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
11. People for the American Way
> Amount donated: $687,225
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Political advocacy
> Donor location: Washington, DC
Source: Courtesy of BlackPAC
10. Black PAC
> Amount donated: $786,695
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area or employer and industry: Democratic advocacy
> Donor location: New York, NY
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Source: JillianCain / iStock via Getty Images
9. UNITE State/Local Committee
> Amount donated: $859,628
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labor
> Donor location: New York, NY
Source: SD, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
8. Everytown for Gun Safety
> Amount donated: $874,879
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Gun control
> Donor location: New York, NY
Source: Edward Kimmel from Takoma Park, MD, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
7. Mid-Atlantic Laborers’ Political Education Fund
> Amount donated: $898,110
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Labor
> Donor location: Reston, VA
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Source: Kate Magee Joyce for Glenn Youngkin from Virginia, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
6. LSMP LLC
> Amount donated: $1,000,000
> Recipient: Glenn Youngkin, Republican Party
> Donor advocacy area: N/A
> Donor location: Smithfield, VA
Source: Niyazz / iStock via Getty Images
5. Republican Party of Virginia
> Amount donated: $1,685,475
> Recipient: Glenn Youngkin, Republican Party
> Donor advocacy area: Political party
> Donor location: Richmond, VA
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Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News via Getty Images
4. Democratic Party of Virginia
> Amount donated: $2,966,911
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Political party
> Donor location: Richmond, VA
Source: Michael Davidson for Terry McAuliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
3. DGA Action
> Amount donated: $6,833,890
> Recipient: Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party
> Donor advocacy area: Democratic advocacy
> Donor location: Washington, DC
Source: Republican Governors Association, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
2. Republican Governors Association
> Amount donated: $10,500,000
> Recipient: Glenn Youngkin, Republican Party
> Donor advocacy area: Political party
> Donor location: Washington, DC
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Source: The Carlyle Group, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1. Glenn Youngin
> Amount donated: $20,000,000
> Recipient: Glenn Youngkin, Republican Party
> Donor employer and industry: Carlyle Group, Private equity
> Donor location: Great Falls, VA
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