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] New Virginia Law Will Expand Zoning for Manufactured Homes

By VOW Ops • April 23, 2026
Manufactured homes are constructed in a factory and then transported to a land plot instead of traditional homes which are built on site. Despite the cost-savings constructors and prospective homeowners earn from manufactured homes, outdated stigma prevents them from being located anywhere other than agricultural zones. As part of her Affordability Agenda, Governor Spanberger has signed legislation which will expand where manufactured homes can be located. Under HB 655 and SB 346, starting July 1st Manufactured homes can now be located within any residential zone intended for traditional homes (with exceptions for historic districts). Further, localities will not be permitted to place different rules or any additional restrictions on manufactured homes that would not be imposed on single-family homes. Both bills passed the General Assembly with near-unanimous support. Executive Director of the Virginia Manufactured and Modular Housing Association Randy Grumbine says the new laws “could be very significant” in removing barriers that have been in place for decades. In 2020, a single-section manufactured home cost 35% the price of a similar-sized traditional home. Virginians have been facing affordability challenges when looking for housing – especially over the last several years – and they continue to experience a housing shortage which only exacerbates the problem. Del. Maldonado and Sen. VanValkenburg have noted that the strong bipartisan support they received for their respective bills is because Virginia’s housing crisis affects everyone regardless of partisan affiliation. Beyond the expansion of locations for manufactured homes, Governor Spanberger also signed HB 1227, which increases the amount of state funding toward affordable housing. She also signed HB 4, which gives localities the authority to require property owners to give the local government or developer the first chance to purchase property to build affordable housing. You can read the full article here for more details.

[Virginia Mercury] Virginia Lawmakers Recess Special Session Without Budget Deal

By VOW Ops • April 23, 2026
[Virginia Mercury] Virginia Lawmakers Recess Special Session Without Budget Deal

[Virginia Mercury] Data Center Bills Dominated This Year’s General Assembly. Here’s What Happened

By VOW Ops • March 19, 2026
Virginia’s growing data center economy was the center of attention for this year’s General Assembly session, with lawmakers balancing the industry’s benefits against its costs to communities. Of the many bills that were proposed to regulate data centers, some passed both the House and Senate and now head to Governor Spanberger’s desk for either her signature or veto. SB 253 (Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth) would extend a program Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company offer low-income customers to reduce their monthly energy bills by weatherproofing their houses. The bill also gives the State Corporation Commission (SCC) the liberty to determine if more of the cost of generating electricity for data centers should fall onto them and large manufacturers instead of homeowners. SB 553 (Sen. Srinivasan, D-Loudoun) would direct water utilities to provide monthly or quarterly reports on how much water they are providing to data centers. Currently, data centers can withhold their water usage as an industry secret. SB 94 (Sen. Roem, D-Manassas) and HB 153 (Del. Thomas, D-Prince William) would require applicants who request localities to rezone for “high-load users” to submit site assessment reports. Localities would then be able to use the information from said reports to determine if the application conforms with their zoning requirements. HB 507 (Del. McAuliff, D-Loudoun) would mandate the Department of Environmental Quality to deny air permits for data center generators after July 2026 unless they meet stricter environmental regulations. Currently, data centers are allowed limited use of backup generators that run on diesel fuel, which have resulted in next-door neighbors complaining of noxious fumes spilling into their communities. HB 323 (Del. Sullivan, D-Fairfax) directs the Department of Energy to study how to best utilize waste heat generated by data centers to meet heating demands from neighboring buildings. One of the most robust debates involving data centers revolved around the sales tax exemption given to them on their server equipment and software. The Senate budget bill would end the exemption, hoping to recover the $1.6 billion they argue the state loses annually as a result. The House budget bill would keep the exemption but stipulate additional requirements for data centers to remain in compliance with receiving the exemption. The data center industry has rebutted the proposals to end the tax exemption, arguing that it has brought billions of dollars in investment into Virginia. Furthermore, the issue does not fall along clear, partisan lines, with both Democrats and Republicans arguing for against ending the exemption. The issue has ultimately ground Virginia’s budget approval process to a halt, with neither chamber coming to a consensus on the state’s biennial budget. Governor Spanberger has called for a special session beginning April 23rd so that the General Assembly can resolve the dispute. You can read the full article here for more details.
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