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A Compelling Case for Campaign Finance Reform – Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorneys

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sherlockj
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by James C. Sherlock

Remind me why, exactly, Virginia permits massive out-of-state campaign contributions to dominate local races.

I can’t hear you.

Because we do, an out-of-state organization is by far the biggest donor to Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorneys races in elections of local prosecutors.

Justice and Public Safety PAC, based in Washington D.C., utterly dominates support to the campaigns of progressive district attorneys in Virginia.  That PAC receives most of its funding from billionaire George Soros and his Democracy PAC.

VPAP reveals that Justice and Public Safety PAC‘s list of biggest donations have been:

  • $861,039  to Biberaj for Loudoun County Commonwealth Attorney – Buta. That amounted to nearly all of the campaign funding not contributed by the Biberaj family.
  • $621,145 to Dehghani-Tafti for Commonwealths Attorney – Parisa (Arlington/Falls Church). It contributed more than 75% of her total fundraising. She received $11,362 from San Francisco-based Real Justice PAC.
  • $601,369 to Descano for Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney – Steve. See Descano’s top donors. It speaks for itself.
  • $177,231 to Faheti for Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney – Ramin. When we examine the average spent by winners in November 2021 elections, we see that Mr. Faheti was the spending leader (select Commonwealth’s Attorney) in a landslide. He spent five times as much money as any other Commonwealth’s Attorney winner in the November 2021 election. Other major Faheti donors were Brooklyn’s Working Families Party and Soros’ D.C.-based Democracy PAC.

So, Virginia’s highest profile county and city Commonwealth’s Attorneys are being funded primarily with out-of-state money. Perhaps some enterprising reporter can ask about that every time one of the prosecutors listed above steps to a microphone.

And perhaps the General Assembly can rethink Virginia’s open borders policy when it comes to campaign donations.

Limits on out-of-state donations would be a terrific improvement to the already ground-breaking HB 85, along with limits to corporate and PAC donations that will attract Democratic support.

Both caucuses can scan what 90% of other states have set as campaign donation limits to come to a compromise.

Democrats. Hawaii is a deep blue state. Start there. Contributions from non-Hawaiian residents may not make up more than 30% of the total contributions of a candidate for office. Look at Massachusetts’s PAC limits. Look at Rhode Island, California.

Republicans. Missouri is a red state. Look there. Look at North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Arkansas.

There is a bipartisan deal to be had if both sides have seen enough.

Certainly the citizens have.

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13 responses to “A Compelling Case for Campaign Finance Reform – Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorneys”

  1. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    Hate to break it to you, but the reporters you look to for outrage and revelation are just as dependent on that out of state ideologically tainted money.

    1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      The reporters have revealed it. One of Mr. Sherlock’s links is to this Washington Post article, which goes into the funding of CA elections in some detail. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/pac-funded-by-george-soros-pumps-nearly-1-million-into-local-races-for-prosecutor/2019/06/04/c2df1b08-86f0-11e9-a491-25df61c78dc4_story.html.

  2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    I have done a quick search of prior BR posts and I could not find similar howls of outrage from conservatives over all the out-of-state Koch Brothers money flowing into Virginia politics several years back. It seems that conservatives get really worked up over campaign finance reform only when liberals and Democrats learn how to play the game.

    1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      You will notice I support the restrictions currently in laws in both blue and red states. Virginia’s lack of any restrictions is a disgrace to both parties here.

  3. James Kiser Avatar
    James Kiser

    I have proposed numerous times to various state delegates and senators easy ways to control campaign contributions. This included proposals for the federal elections as well. All have told me that it is unworkable but I don’t see why not. It is very simple. Only people who live in a delegate or senators district can donate to campaign. For state wide offices only people who live in VA can donate. And work on their campaigns also. (And college students going to school in VA can’t do either). The same would apply for federal elections of Congress. The President and VP are nationwide. Maximum contribution a year is 500 dollars. Period. No Bon Jovi campaigning for Clinton and No Charlton Heston campaigning for Trump. No Pacs or union or trade groups donating money for a candidate. No Bruce Springsteen or Aaron Rodgers campaigning for a candidate. If a group wants to run an issue ad they can but they have to list who is running the ad prominently and they cannot in any way shape or form mention a candidate pro or con. None of these groups can offer any form of assistance to a candidate, not workers , not office space not anything. Never happen though. That means everybody.

    1. Paul Sweet Avatar
      Paul Sweet

      Amen!

  4. Virginia Project Avatar
    Virginia Project

    Rather than changing the law to deal with one specific problem case, it’s better to deal with the specific problem case – namely, the Soros intention to crash public safety by getting the weakest and most radical-left CAs elected.

    1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      I don’t know how to do that without changing Virginia law. Do you?

      1. Virginia Project Avatar
        Virginia Project

        I do, but I don’t want to give out the strategy just yet. It will be much better when it takes them by surprise.

  5. James McCarthy Avatar
    James McCarthy

    Would y’all prohibit folks who moved from VA to elsewhere from contributing to a VA candidate? Money is fungible. How may it be prohibited in a state from entering the state? Does reform also mean Virginians would be prohibited from contributing to candidates in other states? Attempting campaign finance reform by geography except from foreign sources is a foolish endeavor. Neither the Kochs nor Soros have been declared inherently evil or malicious or intent upon overthrowing a state government. If campaign contributions were limited to only state residents, establishing a business to receive covert $$$ in-state for contributions would be similar to straw gun purchases. It might be best and simplest to remove the free $$$ market from political campaigns and fund them publicly.

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