Major Democratic donor in Virginia aims to counter Dominion donations with his own money
A major Democratic donor is planning to counter what he calls "legalized corruption" at the Virginia General Assembly by putting up his own money to fund candidates who swear off donations from Dominion Energy.
Michael D. Bills, a Charlottesville investor who was one of the top donors to Gov. Ralph Northam's campaign in the 2017 cycle, says he'll offer thousands of dollars to sitting delegates and state senators who sign a pledge to refuse any money or gifts from Dominion and divest any personal investments in the company.
The Clean Virginia Project, housed in a new political action committee run by former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello, will offer $5,000 per election cycle to participating delegates and $20,000 per cycle to senators, according to a news release that touted the initiative as "the largest such commitment ever made to level the playing field for Virginia consumers."
The focus could expand to include non-incumbent challengers in the 2019 elections, when all seats in the House and Senate are up for re-election.
Read more: http://www.roanoke.com/news/politics/general_assembly/major-democratic-donor-in-virginia-aims-to-counter-dominion-donations/article_7f44775c-bd76-5459-8b58-1da15d4b7c9a.html
