Big money arrives in Virginia politics

Virginia was once considered the minor leagues for political fundraising. The state's humble history was bound to change given its proximity to Washington, D.C. Campaign costs have crept up with each election cycle, but this year may mark a watershed moment, albeit a regrettable one, in the commonwealth's political history.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe is employing his professional skills to bankroll his campaign. He has imported more than $525,000 from two Hollywood executives unfamiliar to the Old Dominion but well known at his old haunt, the Democratic National Committee. Indeed, Haim Saban and Stephen Bing gave a combined $12 million to build the DNC's new headquarters, stroking seven-figure checks in 2002 just months before a new federal law capped so-called soft money donations at $25,000 per election cycle.

Democrat Brian Moran may not have any pull with Saban, creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but he does have an ally in Congress. His big brother, U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, serves on a subcommittee that oversees military spending. The congressman has encouraged his donors, including Virginia-based defense contractors seeking budget earmarks from the panel, to support his sibling's gubernatorial bid. Virginia's lax campaign finance laws allow contributors to make more generous gifts than are permitted in federal races.

The third and final Democratic candidate, state Sen. Creigh Deeds, made an issue of his compatriots' finances during last weekend's debate, urging Virginia against allowing "the Wall Street culture or the corrupt political establishment to dictate our agenda." He later admitted he had also solicited donations - unsuccessfully - from some of the same defense contractors he had criticized Moran for schmoozing.

Republican Bob McDonnell isn't lounging on the sidelines watching the Democratic scrimmage. He's collected the largest single donation in the campaign thus far: $1 million from the Republican Governors Association, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Virginia has made it to the big leagues of political swag, but it's still using campaign finance rules and referees that would have trouble maintaining control at a T-ball game.

Federal law caps individual donations to candidates at $2,400 per election cycle. In Virginia, gifts are limited only by the size of a donor's bank account. The State Board of Elections has scant resources for policing the handful of rules that have managed to win approval from the General Assembly.

Asked for his views on campaign finance restrictions, Moran recently quipped, "I bet Creigh and I wish we had passed those last year." Sadly, the idea is always most popular with the fellow bringing up the rear in an election, and he's rarely in a position to do anything about it.

Virginia has long needed a state leader willing to champion reform of its campaign-finance rules. Unfortunately, the state's new and toxic mixture of big money and toothless regulation is more likely to make that champion even harder to find.