Aird raises $2.4 million in bid for 13th Senate District seat

Published 4:58 pm Monday, October 23, 2023

Former Del. Lashrecse Aird has raised and spent more than 50 times the amount of money as her Republican challenger, Eric Ditri, in their bid for Virginia’s 13th Senate District seat.

The district spans from Richmond through Sussex County and includes Surry, which accounts for just over 3½% of the district’s voters.

Aird, according to an analysis by the Virginia Public Access Project, has reported the sixth highest fundraising total of any candidate for the 40 Senate seats or 100 House of Delegates seats on the ballot. 

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Campaign finance reports Aird filed with the Virginia Department of Elections show her having raised $2.4 million and spent $2.3 million as of Aug. 31. She raised another roughly $88,900 and spent another roughly $105,000 in September, according to an updated report she filed Oct. 16.

Meanwhile, Ditri reported just over $45,000 in contributions and just under $37,000 in expenses as of Sept. 30.

Aird’s reports show a $168,000 cash donation from the Clean Virginia Fund, a political action committee that describes its purpose as backing candidates who have “taken a principled stance against accepting campaign contributions from regulated monopolies like Dominion Energy.” The PAC has endorsed 52 Democrats this election cycle, including Aird.

Aird, who’s largely focused her campaign on abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning its landmark Roe v. Wade decision last year, reported over $77,000 in cash and just over $15,000 in non-monetary contributions from Planned Parenthood Virginia’s political action committee. She’s received another $25,000 from EMILY’s List, a PAC with the stated purpose of “electing democratic pro-choice women to office.”

Her reports also show over half a million dollars from Workers Vote, a New York City-based labor union.

None of Aird’s donors listed a Surry County address. One who gave her $200 listed a Smithfield address. Ditri’s reports show no five-figure donations and no Surry or Smithfield donors.

Aird, in June, defeated Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Petersburg, in a primary election for the Democratic Party’s nomination.