Democratic challengers to Republicans Yancey and Robinson escalate fundraising momentum
Richmond – Democratic nominees for the House of Delegates Shelly Simonds (HD-94) and Larry Barnett (HD-27) each reached $100K in total funds raised this week. This six-figure benchmark comes on the heels of a recent campaign finance reporting deadline, which showed that Simonds and Barnett significantly outraised the Republican incumbents in their districts.
In the Q1 campaign finance reporting period that ended on March 31, Simonds reported $71,840 to David Yancey’s $46,596, and Barnett reported $75,467 to Roxann Robinson’s $11,521.
“Shelly and Larry already eclipsed their Republican opponents in Q1 fundraising, and their campaigns continue to gain momentum and generate enthusiasm in their districts and across the Commonwealth,” said House Democratic Caucus Executive Director Trevor Southerland. “Shelly, Larry, and House Democrats are coming back to finish the Blue Wave we started in 2017.”
Simonds and Barnett ran in the same districts in 2017 and almost unseated their Republican incumbents – Robinson squeaked out re-election by just 128 votes, and Yancey returned to the House of Delegates by luck of a random drawing after Simonds tied him in number of votes. Simonds and Barnett are each also outpacing their own fundraising compared to this point in their campaigns in 2017.
“The support our campaign has received, in terms of both finances and enthusiasm, has been truly inspiring,” Shelly Simondssaid in a statement. “We continue to hear from our community in the 94th district, just as we did in 2017, that it’s time for new leadership and representation for Newport News in Richmond.”
Larry Barnett stated, “We haven’t lost any of the momentum that we felt in 2017 – in fact, the energy and enthusiasm have grown. We really appreciate the support our campaign is receiving in the 27th so that we will have the resources we need to communicate our message to Chesterfield residents and, in turn, hear their priorities and concerns.”
In the Q1 campaign finance reports, House Democratic delegates and candidates significantly outpaced Republicans in both small-dollar donations and overall fundraising. The Democratic nominee in HD-40, Dan Helmer, surpassed the six-figure mark in the first quarter as he seeks to win the seat currently held by Republican Tim Hugo. The next campaign finance reporting period ends on May 30.