It hasn’t taken long for Fairfax County’s own Pat Herrity to become the GOP’s top fundraiser in the lieutenant governor race.
The 64-year-old’s campaign announced more than $200,000 in total contributions within a week of its Jan. 3 launch, handily surpassing the $645.53 raised by Williamsburg businessman John Curran, who was the first Republican to declare his candidacy for Virginia’s second-highest statewide office.
Also in the race for the Republican nomination is Richmond radio host John Reid, who formally announced his campaign this week and has not yet reported his campaign’s financial status.
Herrity still has a ways to go to match Curran’s cash on hand, after Curran loaned his own campaign $1 million. But Herrity’s electoral experience gives him a major advantage against the relative political unknowns in the race, campaign manager Jonathon Nave told FFXnow.
“It’s going to give him the resources that he needs, both in the primary, but also to win the general election this year and contribute to getting all three on the statewide ticket across the finish line,” Nave said. “He’s the only candidate in the race who has proven and has a record of raising resources effectively.”
Herrity’s fundraising record agrees. The Springfield District supervisor has raised more than $2.8 million in aggregate for his campaigns since 2012, fueling five consecutive electoral wins in mostly liberal Fairfax County. His notoriety has only grown in recent years, becoming arguably the top Republican voice in Northern Virginia.
“I think, especially when you run down-ballot, a bulk of your money comes from people that know you,” political consultant Ben Tribbett said. “It’s a frequent occurrence where, when you’re running down-ballot, a lot of your resources come from your home region.”
The 2025 election cycle is only in its infancy, with primary elections scheduled for June 17. But if history is any indication, many more dollars will be flowing in the coming months.
Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle Sears, for example, raised more than $3 million in a year before taking office in 2022. Her predecessor, Democrat Justin Fairfax, collected more than $4 million before he was sworn in.
So far, multiple candidates contending for the Democratic nomination are also building large bank accounts. State Sen. Aaron Rouse leads the pack with more than $665,000 on hand based on this month’s campaign finance report filings, with State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi ($546,748.97) and former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney ($513,831.60) trailing closely behind.
Some of Herrity’s colleagues on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, which is otherwise entirely blue, have already thrown their weight behind Democratic contenders. Rouse’s campaign announced several endorsements from Northern Virginia elected officials on Friday (Jan. 24), including Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk and Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn.
