NORFOLK, Va. - — Millions of dollars are pouring into Virginia as every seat of the General Assembly is up for election this year.
Gov. Youngkin's political action committee the Spirit of Virginia received nearly $6 million in donations between April and June, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Among the donors, a Florida businessman donated a million dollars, as did a group called the Future of Education LLC from Austin, Tex.
"He's been attracting a lot of attention both within the state with his focus on the state as well as attention outside of the state," said Dr. Ben Melusky, a political science professor from Old Dominion University.
Melusky says Youngkin continues to attract national attention, especially over the possibility he might run for president, which could be helping him raise so much money.
The Spirit of Virginia has raised more than $8 million so far in 2023.
"It seems like there's a lot of smoke over a potential 2024 run, but at least for the eyes of the Governor right now is very much looking forward to November," said Melusky.
The chairman of the Spirit of Virginia PAC Dave Rexrode said in a statement, “The Governor has built and scaled an unprecedented campaign to hold the House and flip the Senate."
Democrats aren't backing down.
During a three-week period in June, Democrats in the House and Senate outraised Republicans by nearly double.
House Democratic leader Del. Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) said, "The Democrats have a winning formula and people are with us."
Once again, many eyes will be on Virginia heading into 2024.
"At the end of the day, it's coming down to there's only a handful of races in both chambers that are really going to dictate control for one party or the other, so that's where we're going to see this election cycle be fought," said Melusky.
