Virginia lawmakers passed legislation that would ban the candidates from using campaign funds for personal use, sending the bill to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) for approval.
The legislation would align state campaign finance law with nearly all other states and federal standards in prohibiting “contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee for personal use.” The pair of bills approved Wednesday passed unanimously in the state House and state Senate after each was approved in the opposite chamber earlier this legislative session. Both SB1002 and HB2165 will go to Youngkin’s desk for approval.
“By sending this bill to the governor’s desk, we will take a long-overdue first step toward restoring faith in our democracy and ending Virginia’s status as the ‘Wild West’ of campaign finance,” Democratic state Sen. Jennifer Boysko, the lead backer of one of the bills, said in a press conference.
The bipartisan bills came after years of similar measures being introduced but dying in one of the two chambers before reaching the governor’s desk. In 2024, lawmakers let a similar piece of legislation die but said it would be a top priority for the 2025 session.
Virginia lacks several of the same campaign finance restrictions for state races as the rest of the country, including limits on contributions from individuals and companies toward campaigns. Legislation to institute limits has stalled in the legislature.
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The potential changes to state campaign finance laws came as the commonwealth prepares for hotly contested elections later this year for the state House and various statewide offices.
The key race in Virginia in November will be the gubernatorial race, which will decide who will succeed Youngkin for the following four years. Other top races include contests for lieutenant governor and attorney general.
