Information Charlottesville

The first campaign finance reports for the 2023 election are in and they look back to activity from the second half of 2022.  Thanks to the Virginia Public Access Project for making all of this information from the Department of Elections easy to navigate.

House District 55

In House District 55, Republican incumbent Rob Bell raised $85,055 in the period and spent $25,822. Eighty-five of the 88 contributions were in excess of $100 with Paul Manning contributing $10,000 and Ted Weschler contributing $10,000. Bell’s campaign committee spent $8,000 to the Republican Commonwealth Leadership PAC. (read the raw report)

Bell has two Democratic challengers competing in the June 20 primary. 

Former Charlottesville School Board Member Amy Laufer raised $59,525 in the second half of 2022 with 97 contributions more than $100 and 218 less than that amount. Higher levels of donations include $5,000 from Sonjia Smith and $2,500 from developer Barbara Fried. Laufer had a balance of $88,761 on December 31 and the total amount raised includes $3,100 in in-kind donations. (read the raw report)

Emergency room nurse Kellen Squire raised $63,107 in the period with 85 contributions in excess of $100 and 714 below that threshold. The total figure also includes $19,255 in in-kind donations of more than $100. Squire had a balance of $45,187 on December 31. Squire also received $5,000 from Sonjia Smith and $5,000 from Clean Virginia. (read the raw report)

House District 54

In House District 54 there are currently three candidates in the race for the Democratic nomination but only one reported campaign finance activity in 2022.

Katrina Callsen, a current member of the Albemarle School Board, raised $11,565 with ten contributions above $100. Someone named Kathryn Ordway contributed $5,000. The campaign gave $1,000 to a group called Leadership for Educational Equity and had $10,509 on hand at the end of December. (read the raw report)

Other candidates who have filed statements of organization with the Department of Elections are Fifeville resident Dashad Cooper and former Charlottesville Mayor David E. Brown. 

Senate District 11

House District 54 is an open seat because its current occupant is challenging a fellow Democrat in the primary for District 11.

Delegate Sally Hudson had two political action committees during the period. The one for a potential Delegate race began the period with $22,891 and raised $15,757 during the period. A transfer of $4,861 was made to her Senate campaign on November 21, 2022. (read the report)

The Senate committee raised $184,168 in the final six weeks of 2022 with 80 cash contributions of more than $100. These include $30,000 from Sonjia Smith, $25,000 from Kay Leigh Ferguson, $10,000 from Anne Worrell and $10,000 from Parke Capshaw. There are six contributions of $5,000. The total amount raised includes $19,354 in in-kind contributions from Sonjia Smith. The campaign had $149,701 on hand at the end of the year. (read the report)

Hudson is challenging incumbent Senator Creigh Deeds, who began the reporting period with $100,175 and raised $230,693 between July 1 and December 31. The top donations were $10,000 from the Virginia Trial Lawyers Political Action Committee and $10,000 from Mr. Edward H. Rice. Deeds’ campaign had eight contributions of $5,000. In all, Deeds had 222 contributions in excess of $100. The candidate had $293,131 on hand at the end of the year. (read the report)

Earlier this month, Republican Philip Hamilton filed paperwork to be a candidate in District 11. Hamilton ran against Delegate Hudson in the 2021 race and received 21.3 percent of the vote. His campaign raised $7,019 from two contributions in 2022. They were $4,150 from Majority Strategies LLC and $2,869 from Woodfin Law Offices. 

The Virginia Public Access Project lists another candidate in the race. J’riah Guerrero is an independent who did not file a report yesterday. He is the chair of the Charlottesville Economic Development Authority. 

Senate District 10

There are also reports in for the four Republican candidates for Senate District 10. 

• Louisa County Supervisor Chair Duane Adams raised $68,717 in the second half of 2022. He had a balance of $215,742 on December 31. (raw report)
• Jack Dyer raised $71,205 in the period and had an ending balance of $179,502. (raw report)
• Delegate John McGuire raised $78,325 for his Senate campaign and had $38,448 left at the end of the year. (raw report)
• Sandy Brindley raised $8,625 in the second half of 2022 and spent nearly all of it with an ending balance of $350. (raw report)

Almost no activity in local races

There are 153 days until the June 20 primary and 293 days until the general election on November 7. So far, there’s almost no activity for local races.

In fact, there is only one declared candidate for the three Albemarle Board of Supervisors races. Michael Pruitt is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Scottsville District seat that is being vacated by Donna Price. Pruitt raised $3,499 from September 12 to December 31. Nine of the contributions were above $100 with 20 below that amount. 

Supervisor Ann Mallek has not said yet whether she will seek a fifth term representing the White Hall District. Supervisor Bea LaPisto-Kirtley has not revealed if she will seek a second term representing the Rivanna District.

No candidates have filed paperwork for the three seats on Charlottesville City Council. There is one open seat that will be appointed by the remaining four Councilors and applicants have until January 30 to fill in their request to be considered to complete the term of former Councilor Sena Magill. 

One candidate has emerged in Nelson County. James C. Bibb is seeking the Republican nomination for the South District seat currently held by Democrat Robert Barton. The other seat up for election this year is the West District seat held by David Parr. 

More information as it becomes available. 

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Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment comes from the January 18, 2023 edition of the program. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.