Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Charlottesville, incumbent congressman and stand-alone Democrat, thus far has garnered nearly five times the amount raised by his Republican competitors for the November election.
The campaign raised a record $308,725 during the fourth quarter of 2009, adding to its total of $1,140,470 for the 2010 election year.
"We're thrilled to have gained support from over 2,100 individual donors - nearly five times as many donors as all the Republican candidates combined - 77 percent of whom are small donors," said Anna Scholl, finance director for the Perriello campaign. "I think it shows how much support Congressman Perriello has at the grassroots level that we see so many small contributions coming in from all corners of the fifth district."
Seven Republican candidates are vying for Virginia's fifth district Congressional seat, which may account for their considerably lower fundraising numbers, said Isaac Wood, assistant communications director at the Center for Politics and a former Cavalier Daily opinion columnist.
"He's helped by the fact that he's the only candidate in his party," Wood said. "Other Republicans [are] dividing up much smaller [donations]."
Perriello is a Charlottesville native and an incumbent in a "relatively wealthy" and "reliably Democratic town," Wood added, all of which are factors that may make fundraising an easy campaign hurdle to overcome.
Sen. Robert Hurt, R-Chatham, who is widely seen as the Republican leader of the seven, has raised only $293,408 from 450 donors.
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors member and Republican challenger Ken Boyd argued that the funds Perriello has raised are not worrisome to him or to the Republican Party.
"This election is not going to be purchased by large sums of money," he said. "It's going to be won by grassroots organization and by someone that the district can believe in."
Wood projects long-term financial success for Perriello's campaign.
"[He was] elected in a race at least as tough as this one. I don't see any fundraising hurdles [for him] because of the staff he's put together and because he's established himself."
-Kate Colwell contributed to this article.
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