Virginia Places No Limits On Campaign Contributions

This is part two of a series on the state of campaign finance law in Virginia. Two weeks ago, we covered the personal use of campaign funds, which is currently completely legal in Virginia for state candidates and officeholders. This week, VaOurWay is looking at campaign contribution limits. Unlike other states, Virginia doesn’t have any laws restricting how much an individual or group can contribute to candidates. Stay tuned for more information on how Virginia can improve campaign finance law to build a more accountable state government. 


Just as the personal use of campaign funds is permitted in Virginia, the state’s campaign finance laws allow for similarly relaxed regulations regarding how much money can be contributed to candidates. In fact, there are no limits to the amount an individual or a group can contribute to campaigns for state office in Virginia. This makes Virginia an outlier; at least 40 states place limits on how much an individual or group can contribute to a campaign, and the Federal Election Commission also limits contributions to candidates for federal office.


“Virginia’s campaign finance system is a boondoggle that alienates its citizens and makes them lose faith in government,” Governor Ralph Northam, then a candidate for governor, said in 2017. “Virginians across every part of the political spectrum want a system that is more responsive to the people, and less reliant on big checks from a few donors.” 


Virginia’s 2017 gubernatorial election, which sent Northam to the Executive Mansion, provides a useful portrait of how campaign finance works in Virginia. During that election cycle, candidates for governor spent a total of $66 million, 66% of which came from contributions larger than $25,000. That’s $43,423,674 coming in from donations that would be illegal for individuals to make in most states and at the federal level. In comparison, just 5% of the $66M spent in 2017 came from contributions totaling $100 or less. 


Whereas major donors poured in over $43 million into the race for the governorship, small donors were able to contribute just over $3 million. 


This massive disparity in campaign contributions means that having more money can buy an outsize influence over an election. And rather than remaining beholden to the interests of their constituents, a candidate who has received a large contribution may become more susceptible to acting in the interests of their biggest donors once elected. While governing in the interest of donors may help secure funding for the next campaign, unlimited campaign contributions drown out the interests of those who can’t spend a fortune donating to their preferred candidate. 


Opponents to the idea of limiting campaign contributions argue that the ability to contribute to candidates is a free speech issue, and that limiting contributions is akin to limiting speech. But this could mean that the speech of some is more valuable than others; more money means a more prominent voice. In 1976, the Supreme Court ruled in Buckley v. Valeo that the practice limiting campaign contributions is constitutional, as doing so bolsters the “integrity of our system of representative democracy.” Limiting campaign contributions in Virginia would do just that, leveling the playing field and helping to ensure that the biggest spenders aren’t the dominating voice at the table. 


The General Assembly has attempted to limit campaign contributions time and time again to no avail. During the most recent session, a bill that would have limited individual contributions to candidates for state office to $20,000 per election cycle failed to make it through the Senate Privileges and Elections committee. Members from both parties voted to kill the legislation. The bill would have imposed a fine up to two times the amount of the excess contribution on violators. 



Despite numerous attempts for reform, there are still no limits to campaign contributions in Virginia. The General Assembly should finally take action to limit campaign contributions; doing so would give all Virginians an equal voice in the election process and help keep elected officials accountable to their constituents rather than top donors.


[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.
Show More