Corporate Contributions Are Not Limited In Virginia

This is part three of a series on the state of campaign finance law in Virginia. So far, we’ve covered the personal use of campaign funds, which is legal in Virginia, and the lack of limits on campaign contributions in the state. This week, VaOurWay is looking at corporate campaign contributions. Unlike other states, Virginia doesn’t place any restrictions on how much a corporation can contribute to a political campaign. Stay tuned for more information on how Virginia can improve campaign finance law to build a more accountable state government. 


Virginia is just one of five states without any restrictions on how much a corporation can contribute to a campaign for state office. It’s common for states throughout the country to place limits on how much a corporation can give to a candidate; in states like New Jersey and Maryland, corporations can contribute no more than individuals can. Two of Virginia’s neighbors, Kentucky and North Carolina, join 20 other states in going so far as to prohibit corporate contributions altogether.


With absolutely no restrictions on how much of a financial influence a corporation can have on state elections, Virginia stands out among the other states. What is it about corporate contributions that most of the country has tried to regulate that lawmakers in Virginia seem to be missing?


When corporations are able to spend without restraint on their preferred candidates, their enormous contributions drown out the interests of individuals. This could give corporations much more influence than ordinary people over candidates. It costs a lot of money to run a campaign; candidates in need of financial support might be incentivized to support policies favorable to their lavish corporate donors instead of policies that work for individual constituents, who are unlikely to be able to donate as much as a corporation can. 


There are clear, recent examples of corporations buying influence to benefit themselves rather than constituents here in Virginia. Dominion Energy, a regulated utility corporation, spent $1.274 million on candidates and political committees in Virginia in 2020 alone. Over the years, Dominion has contributed millions to General Assembly candidates, resulting in policies that have led to higher profits for the energy company while Virginians pay the sixth highest energy bills in the country. 


A 2021 bill that would have granted the State Corporation Commission (the regulatory body which oversees public utilities) more authority in its ability to lower customer rates was swiftly killed in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee after comfortably passing the House of Delegates. Passage of the bill would have made it possible for Virginians to pay lower energy bills, but eight members of the committee count Dominion among their top donors. These members — Senators Saslaw, Norment, Newman, Obenshain, Lucas, Barker, Mason, and Lewis — voted in the interest of a corporation that significantly funds their campaigns, rather than voting for a bill that is clearly in the interest of their constituents. 


This is a crystal clear illustration of how corporations, capable of contributing millions in a single election cycle, are able to buy influence with lawmakers. These lawmakers are then incentivized to enact policy favorable to corporate donors, which may not necessarily be in the interest of typical constituents. 


Recent years have seen attempts to ban corporate campaign contributions at the state level in Virginia. During the 2021 General Assembly session, two bills that would have banned political contributions from public utilities like Dominion failed to get a floor vote. A number of similar bills have been introduced during every session in recent memory. Governor Ralph Northam called for an end to corporate political contributions during his campaign in 2017, but it seems he’ll be leaving Richmond without having achieved this priority.



In the interest of preventing political influence from remaining largely in the hands of corporate donors, Virginia should act to prohibit corporations from contributing to political campaigns; doing so would create a more democratic, accountable commonwealth.


[Virginia Public Media] Data: Virginia’s Early Childhood Education Providers Are Succeeding

By VOW Ops • January 21, 2026
The second year of results from Virginia’s recently established Quality Establishment and Improvement System (VQB5) for early childhood education found that 99% of childcare providers receiving state funding meet or exceed quality expectations. As of early December 2025, over 154,000 views have been recorded on the system’s website since its October 2024 debut, revealing the many parents and families who appreciate the information that VQB5 offers them. None of these wonderful results would even be available to admire without the support and success we had in passing HB 1012 and SB 578 back in 2020! The data focuses on classroom interactions between children and caregivers and notes how said interactions encourage kids to express themselves at a young age. The state has also enacted categories of excellence for providers who score in the top 10%, exceed quality expectations, or even show significant improvement from an evaluation the year before. On top of that, a new data system called VAConnects helps integrate information on students over the years to track their learning progress. The Department of Education wishes to sustain the program and has requested $735,000 to do so. Overall, Virginia is serving as a model for other states to use in establishing best practices for their early childhood programs. Read more here .

[Richmond Times Dispatch] Virginians want General Assembly Action on Housing, Survey Finds

By VOW Ops • January 21, 2026
An August survey reveals that large majorities of Virginians want state lawmakers to address the rising cost of housing. The survey was conducted by Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia and Freedom Virginia. More than 8 in 10 Virginians said the General Assembly needs to act. More than 3 in 4 Virginians want lawmakers to prevent landlords from raising rents each year by more than 7%. Many Virginians also supported the idea of the state incentivizing localities to build more housing and providing developers with an ability to appeal rejected housing projects. Many proposals that were made to address all these public concerns were struck down during the 2025 legislative session. One of the main reasons why all the mentioned proposals failed to pass the General Assembly is because of the large influence the local government lobbies have in Richmond in protecting what little authority they are granted by the state. However, 6 in 10 Virginians indicated that they are more concerned with providing more housing than protecting local government authority. Read more here.

[Richmond Times Dispatch] Spanberger Details Affordability Measures in Health Care, Energy, Housing

By VOW Ops • December 19, 2025
Governor-elect Spanberger has released details on how her administration will work with the General Assembly to address affordability issues for Virginians regarding health care, energy, and housing. Democrats in the General Assembly argue the proposals are needed to mitigate the effects of President Trump’s tariff policies and reduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Some of the solutions being proposed are legislation from the previous session that were vetoed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. In health care, Spanberger and Virginia Democrats will tackle pharmacy benefit managers’ ability to compel patients toward using affiliated-only pharmacies. The incoming administration also wants to limit the number of times insurance companies can request approvals from patients receiving certain cancer cares and medicines for chronic conditions. Democrats are also reviving legislation that would prohibit insurance companies from charging tobacco smokers higher premiums. Further, Spanberger supports implementing a pilot program to help Virginians who will face unaffordable insurance premiums resulting from the expiration of the ACA enhanced tax credits. In energy, Spanberger called to make it easier for Virginians to utilize small-scale solar panels which don’t require hard labor to install. She also wants the previously vetoed legislation that would set energy storage standards for utility companies brought back to her desk (Governor Youngkin vetoed it because of his belief that the Virginia Clean Economy Act associated with it was ineffective). In housing, Spanberger and Democrats are reviving legislation from 2025 that would extend the grace period tenants have before being evicted for missing rent payments. They are also proposing changes that would give local governments priority in acquiring affordable multi-family units supported by tax credits when the owner wants to sell or convert them. Further, Democrats are reintroducing a bill which would allow all localities to change their zoning ordinances to create dense and affordable housing (currently, only the counties of Albemarle and Loudoun and the cities of Alexandria, Charlottesville, and Fairfax are granted such provisions). Read more here.
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