Incumbents Pinkston and Wade outraise Fleisher in Council race

There are three candidates seeking two Democratic nominations for City Council, and the two who are already in office have raised more money than the lone challenger through their political action committee.

Brian Pinkston and Juandiego Wade are running as a joint ticket with campaign contributions being solicited by the Wade-Pinkston Victory Fund. Political Action Committees have a different reporting period than individual candidates.

The Wade-Pinkston Victory Fund began the year with $16,403 and raised $49,505 between January 1 and May 25. That includes $5,000 contributions from 11th and Cochran LLC, developer Chris Henry, developer Richard Hewitt, and the Virginia Realtors PAC. There’s another $3,000 from Hidden Leaf LLC and $2,500 from the Blue Ridge Home Builders Association. (view all contributions over $100)

The Wade-Pinkston Victory Fund spent $45,790 during the period, including contributions to the candidates themselves. Much of the spending was on joint campaign materials. The PAC had a balance of $16,273 on May 25. (view the raw report)

Jen Fleisher is running alone and began the reporting period with $2,546 in her campaign account. She reported $20,272 in contributions between April 1 and June 5 including $17,989 in cash contributions. That includes a $5,000 contribution from Sonjia Smith. There is also a $1,771 in in-kind contributions and a $511 loan. (view all contributions over $100)

In a press release, Fleisher highlighted that 110 people contributed less than $100 to her campaign. In Virginia, that’s the threshold before someone must identify themselves.

“More than 100 donors have invested $100 or less in this campaign because they believe in our vision for a healthier, more connected Charlottesville,” Fleisher said. “Our campaign shows that local races can and should be powered by community.”

Both Pinkston and Wade are required to file individual reports.

Brian Pinkston began the month with $560 in his campaign account. He reported $5,486 in cash contributions and $11,500 in in-kind contributions. All of that funding came from the Wade-Pinkston Victory Fund.

Pinkston spent $5,517 during the period with $3,750 to Lifeview Marketing and $1,767 to the Charlottesville Media Group.

Wade began the month with $3,246 in his campaign account and raised $6,136 in cash and $11,500 in in-kind contributions. All but $650 of the cash came from the Wade-Pinkston Victory Fund.

Before you go to a different screen: This story went out in the June 10, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. The idea was to post it here immediately but there was a lag. One day there will be a system in place to automate such things. Until then, we truck along. To add fuel, consult this website!