Richmond 2024 mayor’s race: How the campaigns view money’s role and influence on politics

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Money is seen as an essential part of politics. It’s also seen as one of politics’ biggest problems .

Candidates use political donations to fund their campaigns, including to pay staff and for advertising to get their message out to voters. Political money also raises questions about the influence donors have on candidates and the barriers others face.

While campaigns cost money, candidates who bring in the most don’t always win. This is true for elections across the country and in Richmond, where five candidates are running – and raising money – to be the city’s next mayor.

“It’s not gonna guarantee victory,” Alex Keena, an associate political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, said about campaign cash. “But what it does do is it helps determine the candidate’s priorities.”

In 2020, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney spent $1.1 million, per the Virginia Public Access Project, more than the other four candidates combined, on his way to a win. But in 2016, Jack Berry spent about $100,000 more than Stoney but still lost to him, per VPAP.

The massive fundraising gap between the Richmond mayoral candidates — from nearly $573,000 to under $2,500 — reflects an issue that polls show most Americans say makes it hard to run for office: the cost.

“We’ve had unprecedented growth in campaign spending going back to the ’90s. It’s double-digit growth every single year,” Keena, whose research interests include money in politics, told 8News. “Campaigns are getting more and more expensive than ever. And in Virginia, we don’t have limits on how much somebody can give so our state has a ton of money flowing into these state and local races.”

Financial barriers in politics, Keena said, means “the people who can succeed in running and getting elected are people that either know a lot of rich people or they have messages that rich people support, and so it leads to a bias in the types of candidates that are running.”

“It creates this class barrier in terms of who runs and what types of campaigns they run and what types of messages they endorse,” said Keena, who described the early fundraising totals in the Richmond mayoral race as “staggering.”

Two political newcomers in the Richmond mayoral race have raised the most money so far, followed by a former city council president, a current city councilman and another first-time candidate.

Money in the race is coming from different states and from across an array of sectors, including major dollars from people in private equity, health care and real estate.

8News spoke with candidates and campaigns about their views on money’s role in Virginia politics and how that shapes their approach in the race — and, more importantly, if elected.

What candidates and campaigns said

Danny Avula

Danny Avula, a doctor who led Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccine coordination, said he would prefer a more leveled playing field in fundraising and that it would be “helpful” for stricter campaign finance laws in Virginia.

“I would be much happier if every candidate had X amount of dollars that was given to us to run a campaign,” he told 8News in an interview.

“The reality is politics takes money, right? Like the process of getting your name in front of people and helping them understand who you are and what you’re about requires, you know, TV, radio, social media, direct mail,” he added. “And I think if we had a different system overall, that would be beneficial certainly to the candidates and to the donors.”

Avula, whose campaign has several large donations, said he thinks it would be “helpful” if Virginia set caps on contribution limits. He told 8News that with large donations, he believes it’s important to look at the donor, where they’re coming from, and whether they have a shared value.

“I think in all of my conversations, I’m just very clear about, you know, somebody who’s willing to put money behind the campaign is nothing more than an affirmation that they think that I’m the best person for the role,” Avula said.

That due diligence was not done, Avula told 8News, with a $5,000 donation from Abyon LLC, a company operating a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Farmville where a Canadian man died during a COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 that infected nearly all of the detainees. The facility has faced heavy criticism , including abuse and overcrowding claims.

“I just want to be super clear that private prisons do not reflect my values,” Avula said when asked about the donation.

Avula told 8News that a man approached him after a speaking event saying he would like to support his mayoral campaign. Avula’s campaign got the check before filing its finance statement.

“This person has a lot of different business interests and that’s where he wrote the check from,” Avula said. “And as soon as we were made aware of what Abyon was, we immediately returned the money.”

The Richmond-based company with the same address listed on the Abyon donation, Harper Associates, did not respond to an email on whether the contribution was returned.

Avula said people have offered to support him if he’s willing to make certain decisions or actions, but that he’s been “very clear” that’s not how he wants to run his campaign. To him, fundraising sometimes overlaps with being able to get your message out to voters.

Establishing caps on donations, Avula said, would help avoid any public perception, “whether it’s true or not,” of donors having too much influence on candidates and campaigns.

“It would help to shield all the candidates from that kind of scrutiny or people jumping to conclusions if there wasn’t the opportunity to put that kind of money into a campaign,” he said.

Per VPAP , here are the current fundraising totals for Avula:

• Raised: $525,935
• Spent: $74,374
• Ending balance: $451,561

Maurice Neblett

The Richmond mayoral race isn’t about money to Maurice Neblett, it’s about the people in the city.

“My view is it’s about the people,” he said in an interview.

Neblett, who has primarily funded his own campaign and is far behind the other candidates in fundraising, said his focus is connecting with community members and voters. He told 8News about riding the bus with people and speaking with them on the Fourth of July.

“A lot of the feedback from individuals were, you know, that it’s not about the money. It’s about the people. Looking to have someone that is going to be about the people,” Neblett said.

Neblett, a political newcomer whose background is in criminology and criminal justice, said he grew up in poverty and he doesn’t have ties with companies and top donors that other candidates might, but that he learned to “improvise.”

He said he was the first person in his family to get a degree and his volunteers are working to get him elected because they believe in his message and plans for the city.

“I don’t have a lot of money. You know, this is a grassroots campaign,” Neblett said. “What I do have is faith that the people want change and I believe that by serving the community and the innovative ideas that I have, we can do it together and thrive as a city.”

Neblett said he doesn’t want to “rub elbows” with donors because he feels it blurs the interests of the city’s residents. If elected, Neblett said his administration will center on financial transparency and accountability.

“Money does change politics and I told you I’m not the one to be bought,” Neblett told 8News. “And change starts now. We’re going to do things differently and it’s been going the same way for far too long.”

Per VPAP , here are the current fundraising totals for Neblett:

• Raised: $2,434
• Spent: $642
• Ending balance: $1,792

Michelle Mosby

Michelle Mosby’s campaign highlighted her broad base of support from well-known former and current elected officials, including ex-Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, and community members.

“What we’ve been able to do is put together competitive money both, you know from Michelle’s network and network from people in Virginia, but especially from the Richmond area, a lot of low dollar donations that are coming locally,” Don Mark, a campaign advisor, told 8News.

“So, that’s good for campaigns because these are people who can give over again and to the campaign early, which is great to see.”

As a former city council member, including the first Black woman to be council president, people know Mosby and how she will serve, Mark said.

This history on the council meant she was able to transfer nearly $5,000 from her city council campaign to her mayoral campaign – a common move from candidates who have run for multiple offices and established separate committees.

Mark said Mosby’s track history on the council and in the city has helped her run a “resident, worker-focused campaign.”

Per VPAP, most of Mosby’s top donors, which includes Mark, come from in-kind donations, which are goods or services contributed to campaigns, not cash donations.

Mark said the campaign isn’t being funded by a particular type of donor when asked about how Mosby would ensure donors — particularly those with business interests in Richmond — don’t influence a potential administration.

The campaign, Mark said, is getting support from “people who know Michelle” and believe she’s the best candidate.

“I can’t say that our donations or anything like that have overwhelmingly come from a certain sector of the economy,” he said.

Per VPAP , here are the current fundraising totals for Mosby:

• Raised: $223,694
• Spent: $132,407
• Ending balance: $91,289

Andreas Addison

Andreas Addison, a current city council member, is running a “grassroots campaign” and he “cannot be bought,” spokesperson Kelley Losier said in an interview.

“If corporate interests and out-of-state millionaires want to buy influence in this election, they’re gonna have to go elsewhere because Andreas is not going to compromise on his values for a check,” Losier told 8News.

Losier said Addison has an eight-year track history on the council to show “he’s not beholden to anyone except” Richmond’s residents and everyday working-class families.

“That’s who he [Addison] answers to, not to corporate interests,” Losier said, adding that it won’t change if Addison is elected mayor.

Voters should be aware of where the money is coming from, Losier said, adding that people should pay attention to how all candidates, even those they support, are getting their campaigns funded.

Losier said that a council race is rarely expensive, but a mayoral race is more costly for campaigns. However, he said that financial need won’t impact how Addison plans to focus on “things that working families care about” and his grassroots fundraising approach.

“Andreas doesn’t compromise on his values,” Losier told 8News. “He won’t compromise on them in front of a crowd of 1,000 people and he won’t compromise them on a phone call to a donor.”

If a donor’s values don’t align with Addison’s message or if they hope to influence if he’s elected mayor, Losier said “they’re gonna have to go elsewhere to buy that influence.”

“Andreas’ campaign in many ways is a disruption,” Losier said. “It’s a disruption to the status quo, and there are gonna be people that do not want to see…they want to see business as usual at City Hall and they like the status quo.”

Per VPAP, here are the current fundraising totals for Addison:

• Raised: $95,690
• Spent: $76,429
• Ending balance: $19,260

Harrison Roday

Harrison Roday, a former investment banking analyst who co-founded the company Third South Capital, has raised the most money in the race so far.

In a brief phone interview after his campaign announcement, the first-time candidate said having and maintaining a “public service-first mentality” is vital to him and his campaign.

Roday, who formally announced his candidacy on Feb. 22, raised $365,822 from Feb. 20 to March 31, per state records. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Roday has received $40,000 from Thomas Mcinerney, the CEO of Genworth Financial, and $25,000 from James E. Ukrop, the former chairman and CEO of Ukrop’s.

Per VPAP, Roday has also received several $20,000 donations from people who work at American Industrial Partners, a private equity firm in New York City where Roday used to work.

8News asked to speak with candidates or anyone involved in the campaign to learn more about their thoughts on money in politics and the race. Nick Scott, Roday’s campaign manager, shared the following statement:

“Roday for Richmond is proud to have raised more money than any other candidate in the race for Mayor. The majority of our donors are from Virginia, we have more donors in total, and more small dollar (less than $100) than any other candidate in the race. The broad support we have seen from Richmonders, Virginians, and friends and associates across Harrison’s personal life and professional career is a testament that those who know him best believe he is the best candidate to lead the city and create a Richmond that Works for Everyone.”

Per VPAP , here are the current fundraising totals for Roday :

• Raised: $572,869
• Spent: $164,988
• Ending balance: $407,879

Looking ahead

Keena, the VCU professor, said the public often sees political donations, especially large contributions from companies, groups and individuals with certain interests, as “a form of like corruption.”

He said that often donors who give money “become a crucial part of that campaign” and due to the need to maintain the campaign’s operations, a candidate can often become dependent on donors and prioritize their interests.

Polls have shown that money’s sway on politicians is a top issue for American voters. A Pew Research poll from 2023 shows that a large majority of Americans believe major donors have too much influence on Congress.

Another Pew survey from 2024 found that 62% of Americans picked reducing the influence of money in politics as their top policy priority , only behind the economy and defending against terrorism.

It’s a bipartisan view, per Pew’s 2024 poll, which reads: “While there are wide partisan differences on most policy goals, 65% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans rate this as a top priority.”

“To me, the effects aren’t simply, ‘does it help them win the election or not,'” Keena said of fundraising totals in Richmond’s mayoral race. “It’s about what they do after the election’s over and who they’re gonna listen to.”

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