(The Heart Sq.) – Since 2020, the general public electrical utility Dominion Vitality donated practically $2.9 million to Virginia state-level Democratic candidates and greater than $2 million to state-level Republican candidates, totaling practically $4.9 million in funding.
Many states prohibit public utilities from donating to political campaigns as a result of they exist as state-enforced monopolies and lawmakers finally decide their profitability. Though there was some push within the Normal Meeting to ban Dominion from influencing elections from each main events, these payments have fallen flat in committees lately.
Dominion donates to Republicans and Democrats, however confronted additional scrutiny after it donated $200,000 to the Accountability Virginia PAC, which ran commercials in opposition to then-candidate and now Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Dominion later requested for its a reimbursement and claimed it didn’t correctly vet the PAC.
Aaron Ruby, a spokesperson for Dominion, informed The Heart Sq. that its donations assist give a voice to its workers and prospects.
“Dominion Vitality’s political contributions are totally clear and bipartisan, and be certain that our workers and prospects have a voice within the political course of,” Ruby mentioned.
From 2020 till now, the biggest recipient of Dominion funds for candidates within the Normal Meeting was Del. Luke Torian, D-Dumfries, who chaired the Home Appropriations Committee till Democrats misplaced management of the chamber in 2022, in keeping with the Virginia Public Entry Mission’s compilation of donation data.
Over the previous two and a half years, Torian acquired $390,000 from Dominion. Different state-level candidates to obtain large checks from Dominion throughout that timeframe embody Home Democratic Caucus Chair Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, who acquired $235,000, and Senate Guidelines Committee Chair Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, and president professional tempore of the Senate L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, who acquired $210,000 every.
Since 2020, 13 Home and Senate candidates have acquired greater than $100,000 in donations from Dominion. To date in 2022, 11 candidates have acquired $25,000 or extra with the biggest quantity of $50,000 going to Senate Majority Chief Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax.
Earlier this yr, Sens. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, and Richard Stuart, R-Montross, launched payments that will have prohibited Dominion from contributing to political campaigns, however neither made it out of committee. Neither senator responded to a request for remark from The Heart Sq..
