McAuliffe raises $7.5 million in June

Virginia gubernatorial candidate and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) raised $7.5 million during the month of June, according to his campaign. 

The latest fundraising haul brings McAuliffe’s cash-on-hand total to just over $9 million. The former governor’s campaign said the support during the period came from more than 14,000 donors and that 95 percent of the donations made during the period were under $100. The campaign attributed the haul to “an unmatched grassroots army of supporters.”

McAuliffe’s campaign has raised over $20.4 million since launching in December. 

The news comes a day after McAuliffe’s Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin’s campaign said he raked in $3.4 million during the month of June with no personal loans. Youngkin’s campaign has brought in a total of $19.5 million, including $12 million in loans from himself, since launching in January.

The race for the governor’s mansion in Richmond is set to be one of the most closely watched of the 2021 campaign year. McAuliffe is a veteran of Democratic politics and an experienced fundraiser, easily outraising his Democratic opponents in the primary earlier this year. 

Youngkin, who is relatively new to the commonwealth’s political realm, has already poured money into advertising across the state in an effort to introduce himself to voters. The Republican has said he is willing to spend up to $75 million, according to University of Virginia Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato. 

Polls show a tight race in the Old Dominion. A survey from the right-leaning firm the Trafalgar Group showed McAuliffe with 46.8 percent of support and Youngkin slightly behind at 45 percent. 

A JMS Analytics survey released last month showed McAuliffe leading Youngkin 46 percent to 42 percent, within the poll’s 4.2-point margin of error. Meanwhile, a poll from the right-leaning firm WPA Intelligence showed McAuliffe leading Youngkin 48 percent to 46 percent. 

The Cook Political Report rates the governor’s contest as “lean Democratic.”