ISSUE #10 – I Cared About Virginia Before! I Swear!

“In Virginia, I’ve given more money by a factor of 100 than anyone has ever given to Virginia.”
– Terry McAuliffe, Prince William County Democrats, November 17, 2008

“Have I been involved in Virginia? You bet.”
-- Terry McAuliffe, The Politics Hour with Mark Plotkin, February 20, 2009

Mr. McAuliffe showed very little interest in Virginia candidates until he first said he was considering a run for Governor. As this chart clearly shows, McAuliffe was a non-entity in Virginia fundraising, with minimal personal donations, until he decided to run for Governor. Donations to Virginia candidates and parties are in BLUE.

During the Democratic National Convention (DNCC, above), McAuliffe first telegraphed his interest in running. (The Washington Post, Democratic Consultant McAuliffe Weighs Run for Governor, August 27, 2008)

    94% of McAuliffe’s donations to Virginia candidates and party committees have come AFTER he telegraphed his intention to run for Governor.

    Between 1980 and August 25, 2008, McAuliffe donated just $7,400 to Virginia candidates and parties.

    Between August 26, 2008 and March 31, 2009 (the most recent date for which data is available), McAuliffe donated $118,955 to Virginia candidates and parties.

(Sources: Virginia Public Access Project; Federal Election Commission. Includes personal donations, only. Until his campaign, Mr. McAuliffe did not control any Virginia committees.)

McAuliffe also consistently exaggerates even this low level of donation history. McAuliffe has said he has given more to Virginia than any other donor by a factor of 100.

    The Virginian Pilot has reported that McAuliffe has exaggerated the donations made to Virginia candidates by the DNC under his tenure. (Virginian Pilot, Questions Raised about McAuliffe’s Ties to Virginia. May 7, 2009)

Did McAuliffe really give 100 times more than anyone else in Virginia? No. Virginia’s largest single individual donor not financing their own campaign has, since 1996, donated $4,201,750 to Virginia PACs and candidates. Multiply by 100 and….

    For his claim to be accurate, Mr. McAuliffe would have to have donated a stunning $420,175,000 to Virginia – that’s nearly half a billion dollars.

(Source: Virginia Public Access Project)

SO… how much had Terry given in Virginia BEFORE running for Governor??

    McAuliffe often takes personal credit for funds provided to Virginia candidates by the DNC under his tenure, including $2.5 million to Tim Kaine and $1.5 million to Mark Warner. We’ll spot him the $4 million just for the sake of argument.

    Terry McAuliffe personally donated $7,400 to Virginia candidates for state and federal office. (VPAP, link; FEC, http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/qind)

    The facts show that Terry’s actions fall about $416 million short of his claims.