As the Virginia gubernatorial election draws near, both the Democratic and Republican campaigns are increasing their outreach efforts to win over any voters who are still on the fence, Politics Prof. Paul Freedman said.
Jerry Kilgore's Republican campaign raised roughly $22 million by the end of October, setting a fundraising record for a Commonwealth gubernatorial campaign. The funds will help the Kilgore campaign as the last few days of the election approach, Kilgore spokesperson Tucker Martin said.
"A lot of [the money] is probably going to TV and radio ads," Martin said. "Anyone who has driven a car or watched TV will see that."
Democratic candidate Tim Kaine raised a little over $18 million, Kaine spokesperson Delacey Skinner said.
"I think that the most important thing when you're fundraising is to meet the budgetary goals that you have laid for yourself, which we have either met or exceeded," Skinner said. "We have always expected that they would out-raise us, so we were not competitive about it."
Skinner said the money raised by the Kaine campaign will also primarily be used for campaign advertising.
"The cost of doing political business has been going up everywhere as it just gets more expensive in an era when TV ads are at an absolute premium," Freedman said.
As a result, Freedman said candidates have to raise more money to finance their expenditures.
As both campaigns enter their final week, Martin said campaign activity "will get bigger and better."
"The ad push is on the way, and we're going to be seeing a whole lot more of the 30-second spots over the next seven days as both campaigns simultaneously go after their base and try to peel off as many of the independent and moderate voters," Freedman said.
He said Kaine will probably focus his efforts in Northern Virginia, trying to win as many votes in that region as possible.
"Kilgore, if he's smart, will try to pull down any Kaine advances in Northern Virginia," Freedman said.
Skinner said in the next week, Kaine will visit many different parts of the state and try to reach out to voters through rallies and smaller events.
"What you will see over the next week is the lieutenant governor traveling all over the state and holding a lot of different events," Skinner said. "This is a time to talk to those last few people who are sitting on the fence and trying to make up their mind and also to reach out to those people who have been supporting us all along and make sure that they are ready to go out and vote."
Martin said the Kilgore campaign also will try to reach out to voters all over the Commonwealth next week, much like the Kaine campaign.
"We are going to be in every corner of the state," Martin said. "We will be at every locality in Virginia reaching to everyone and trying to get Jerry's message out."
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