Representing Annandale: VA Senate Dems Raise More Money for November Election

Democratic incumbent candidates for Virginia State Senate are raising substantially more money than their Republican and Independent challengers in the race to represent Annandale residents.

Each incumbent candidate's total cash on hand also beats that of their opponents, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign spending.

Democratic incumbents Chap Petersen (34th), Dick Saslaw (35th) and Dave Marsden (37th) have a combined total of almost $1.06 million cash on hand, led by Saslaw who has been in office since the 1970s. Their challengers have a combined total of about $72,000 cash on hand.

The Nov. 8 general election just seven weeks away.

Here's a look at where campaign funds stand for the three state senate districts that cover Annandale.

The amounts are current as of Aug. 31 from reports submitted by Sept. 16 by the campaigns.

State Senate District 34 Race

, the incumbent in the 34th District, moved even further ahead of in the money race to hang onto his seat, according to VPAP.

• Chap Petersen: $27,549 raised between Aug. 11 – 31; cash on hand total $278,361 as of Aug. 31.

• Gerarda Culipher: $4,441 raised between Aug. 11 – 31; cash on hand $19,302 as of Aug. 31.

As of Aug. 31, Petersen had $278,361 cash on hand, with the largest two contributions of the 2011 election cycle coming from Surovell Isaacs Petersen & Levy PLC ($7,500) and the Democratic Party- Virginia Senate Caucus ($6,078).

Other Petersen campaign top donors include:

$6,000 – Leonard A. Bennett (Newport News)

$6,000 – Elizabeth L. Useem (Merion Station, Penn.)

$5,000 – AOL Inc. (Sterling)

$5,000 – Nova Datacom LLC (Chantilly)

$5,000 – Edward Hart Rice (Vienna)

Challenger and Oakton resident Culipher had $19,302 cash on hand as of Aug. 31. Culipher's largest contributor is the candidate herself, according to VPAP. She is listed as the top donor, with a contribution of $2,370. Marianne L Horinko, of Chantilly, is the next top donor with a contribution of $2,000.

Other Culipher campaign top donors include:

$2,000 – Christopher W. Walker (Reston)

$1,500 – Peter G. Fitzgerald (McLean)

$1,500 – David Higgins (Clifton)

$1,500 – Va Rep – Fairfax City

State Senate District 35 Race

significantly outraised his opponent in the Aug. 11 – 31 reporting period.

• Dick Saslaw: $89,329 raised between Aug. 11 – 31; cash on hand total $726,289 as of Aug. 31.
• Robert C. Sarvis: $650 raised between Aug. 11 – 31; cash on hand: $15,400 as of Aug. 31.

Independent Green Party challenger Katherine Pettigrew does not appear to have raised any funds in the Aug. 11 – 31 period, nor does she have any cash on hand, according to VPAP.

As of Aug. 31, Saslaw had $726,289 cash on hand. For the 2011 election cycle, the Virginia Dental Association is Saslaw’s top donor with contributions totaling $27,302.

Other Saslaw campaign top donors include:

$20,000 – Dominion (Richmond)

$20,000 – Verizon (Richmond)

$17,475 – Virginia Bankers Association (Glen Allen)

$15,000 – Virginia Beer Wholesalers Association (Richmond)

Sarvis had $15,400 cash on hand at the end of August. For the 2011 election cycle, Sarah Sarvis Milla of New York, NY is Sarvis’s biggest donor, contributing $9,874.

Other Sarvis campaign top donors include:

$2,000 – Rob Sarvis (Alexandria)

$2,000 – Alice Sarvis Ni (Potomac, Md.)

$1,000 – James Sarvis (Princeton, NJ)

State Senate District 37 Race

Updated financial information for was not available yet from VPAP.

Marsden, who was elected in a special election in 2010, has $52,401 cash on hand. The top donor to Marsden’s 2011 campaign was the Virginia Democratic Party, contributing $47,139. Other Marsden campaign top contributors include Saslaw for Senate, contributing $10,000, and the Democratic Party – Virginia Senate Caucus (Richmond), contributing $6,430.

raised $10,221 between Aug. 11 – 31, with a cash on hand total of $36,430 as of Aug. 31.

Flanary campaign top contributors are:

$13,425 – ccAdvertising (Centreville)

$5,000 – Americans in Contact (Herndon)

$5,000 – Marianne L. Horinko (Chantilly)

$3,491 – Monica D. Chiralo (Centreville)

$2,619 – Jason Flanary (Fairfax)