Petersen Outraises 2 Primary Opponents In Virginia Senate Race: VPAP

Correction: This story was updated from an earlier version to more accurately reflect the nature of the $65,000 in cash donations received by the Fairfax Common Sense PAC.

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Of the four candidates running in the race to fill the District 37 seat in the Virginia Senate, incumbent Sen. Chap Petersen (D) has raised the most money since the beginning of the year, according to the latest campaign finance reports posted online by the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project.

Between Jan. 1 and March 31, the Petersen For Senate Committee raised a total of $158,554, with $150,052 coming from cash contributions of more than $100. The two largest donations he received during that time were from the Fairfax Common Sense PAC ($15,000) and Jefferson Village Association LP ($10,000).

Petersen told Patch on Tuesday that Fairfax Common Sense is a political action committee he formed in 2021 with Fairfax County Sheriff Stacy Kincaid, who is also running for reelection this year.

Fairfax Common Sense's goal is to support like-minded candidates, according to Petersen. He described its contributors as people from the business community. The PAC is run by a board, with a senior associate in Petersen's law firm, Ibnul Kahn, acting as its treasurer.

Related: Petersen Touts Record, Looks To Step Into Leadership Role In VA Senate

In 2022, Fairfax Common Sense endorsed U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who represents the 7th Congressional District, which covers a large swath of central and northern Virginia.

For the first three months of 2023, Fairfax Common Sense received $65,000 in cash donations from three sources: Clean VA PAC ($50,000), Geoffrey Pohanka ($10,000) and Ted Britt Ford ($5,000).

Since Pohanka and Ted Britt Ford are associated with local car dealerships, they do represent the business community.

Clean VA PAC, on the other hand, is a political action committee associated with Clean Virginia, an independent advocacy group promoting clean energy and the ability of communities to control their own energy policy.

Related: Salim Defeats Petersen In Fairfax Democratic Committee Straw Poll Vote

Over the first three months of 2023, the Clean VA PAC has contributed a total of $186,000 to five committees supporting Democratic Party candidates or issues.

The $50,000 it donated to Fairfax Common Sense was the second highest contribution it's made so far this year. The highest contribution was $101,000, which was made to Democrat Aaron Rouse, a retired NFL player running for the State Senate in Hampton Roads.

The Nov. 7 general election will be the first one that Virginia voters will be casting ballots in the redrawn House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate districts. For this reason, some incumbent candidates are running in differently numbered districts this year.

Petersen represented the 34th District in the 2023 General Assembly but is running in the new 37th District against fellow Democrats Saddam Azlan Salim and Erika Yalowitz in the June 20 primary. The new district includes Fairfax City, Oakton, Vienna, Merrifield, Dunn Loring, Idylwood, Tysons and Falls Church.

Related: Erika Yalowitz Third Democrat Running For VA Senate In 37th District

Both of the challengers raised less than half of what Petersen did in the first three months of the year, with Salim receiving $87,069 and and Yalowitz $42,487. In fact, if you combine the money raised by both candidates ($129,556), it's still less than the $158,554 raised by the Petersen For Senate Committee during the same time period.

Most of the money Salim received, $67,063, came from cash contributions of more than $100. The three largest donations came from Shalma Begum ($12,000), Sonjia Smith ($10,000) and Mohammad Salim ($10,000), according to VPAP.

Yalowitz has raised $29,365 from cash contributions of more than $100 since the beginning of the year. VPAP reported that her three largest donations came from Sonjia Smith ($10,000), Dario Marquez ($3,000), and Christopher Hogan ($3,000).

Not only did Petersen outraise his two primary opponents during the first three months of 2023, he also ended the campaign finance filing period with the most money in the bank.

VPAP reported that Petersen ended 2022 with $527,163 in reserve. This money was leftover from the $3,969,438 in contributions the incumbent state senator had received since 2007 minus the $3,988,289 in expenditures he accrued over the same period of time.

After adding in the $158,554 Petersen has raised so far in 2023 and subtracting the $131,525 in expenditures he reported year-to-date, the Petersen for Senate Committee had $554,192 in the bank as of March 31.

That number is even higher when you figure in the money raised by Fairfax Common Sense. The PAC ended 2022 with $114,965 on hand, according to VPAP. Adding the $65,000 in donations (loans) it received for the first three months of this year and subtracting $47,150 reported expenditures, the PAC ended March with $132,815.

When the money from the Petersen For Senate Committee and Fairfax Common Sense are combined, Petersen had $687,007 in reserve as of March 31, according to VPAP.

Republican Ken Reid, who announced his candidacy on April 5, reported raising $750 and listed himself as the only donor. Between March 15 and March 20, he reported $596 in expenditures, with the highest amount paid being the $360 he gave to the Fairfax County Republican Committee.

Related:

• Petersen Touts Advocacy For Children, Elderly, Small Business
• Saddam Azlan Salim To Challenge Chap Petersen In June 20 Primary
• Gun Control, Reproductive Rights Top Priorities For Senate Candidate