McDonnell leads Deeds in tally of contributions

By Michael Sluss

RICHMOND

Republican Bob McDonnell holds a cash advantage over Democrat Creigh Deeds in the waning days of the governor's race.

McDonnell has raised more money and spent more money than Deeds and, as of last week, had nearly twice as much cash in the bank, according to reports filed Monday with the state Board of Elections.

McDonnell reported raising $4 million in the first three weeks of October and had a cash balance of $1.8 million as of Oct. 21. Deeds raised nearly $3.1 million during the same period and had a balance of $937,772.

McDonnell's October totals include $2.1 million in in-kind contributions, including more than $1 million from the state Republican Party for direct mail and marketing and more than $972,000 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for television ads. The campaign had more than 2,700 new donors during the period.

Deeds' October total includes $1.7 million from the Democratic National Committee, chaired by outgoing Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. The campaign had more than 1,400 new donors.

Both campaigns have accelerated their spending in recent weeks as they saturate the airwaves with ads. McDonnell spent $6.7 million in the first three weeks of October; Deeds spent $4.9 million.

Incumbent Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican, also has a funding advantage in his re-election bid. He raised $496,033 in the first three weeks of the month and had $524,445 in the bank. Democratic challenger Jody Wagner raised $463,856 and had a balance of $237,365.

In the race for attorney general, Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Steve Shannon reported nearly identical fundraising totals for the period, with each pulling in a little more than $532,000. But Shannon had $955,436 in available cash to Cuccinelli's $153,863.