A super PAC founded and funded by liberal billionaire George Soros poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into tight elections in Virginia ahead of the state’s contentious 2023 state elections, newly released Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show.
In the second half of 2023, the Soros-backed Democracy PAC II gave $200,000 to committees supporting Virginia Democrats running in competitive state senate districts and $250,000 to Virginia Future Generations PAC, a political committee dedicated to supporting state-level Democrats in July 2023, according to FEC filings. Control of the Virginia State Senate was decided by just one seat in 2023.
A committee supporting Democrat Danica Roem received $50,000 in support from Democracy PAC II in July 2023, according to the FEC. Roem would go on to win Senate District 30 by four points in November 2023, becoming the first transgender person elected to the Virginia State Senate, NBC News reported.
Democracy PAC II gave another $50,000 to the election effort of Schuyler VanValkenburg, a Democrat running in Senate District 16, which was considered important for determining control of the chamber. VanValkenburg ultimately defeated the district’s Republican incumbent by roughly 10 points.
Russet Perry, another Democrat running in the competitive Senate District 31, received $50,000 in support of her election effort from Democracy PAC II and went on to win by about six points.
Virginia Future Generations PAC, meanwhile, pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Virginia House Democratic Caucus and other groups dedicated to electing Democrats after receiving financial support from Democracy PAC II, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections.
Soros himself gave the PAC $25,000 in November 2022, per the Virginia State Board of Elections.
(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Soros donated $175 million to Democracy PAC II between 2021 and 2022, according to the FEC. Soros is the only individual to have donated to the PAC, per FEC filings.
Michael Vachon, who works as a spokesperson and adviser for Soros, serves as the treasurer of Democracy PAC II. The PAC also pays Soros Fund Management in exchange for staff services, according to FEC filings.
Democrats both outraised and outspent Republicans ahead of Virginia’s 2023 legislative elections, which were seen by some as a test of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s viability as a future party leader.
Democrats spent $36.9 million on ads during the 2023 legislative elections, compared to just $28.5 million from Republicans, according to AdImpact. Senate Districts 31 and 16 were the most expensive races by ad spending, with the Democrats in both elections receiving support from the Soros-backed super PAC.
Democratic state senate candidates also had more cash on hand than their Republican counterparts, going into the final days of the election cycle with a nearly $1 million advantage, the Associated Press reported.
Democrats maintained their majority in the state Senate and flipped control of the state house after the 2023 elections.
Democracy PAC II did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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