Fundraising Top contributors According to OpenSecrets.org, Democrat Mark Warner's top five contributors were
JPMorgan Chase,
Dominion Resources,
Altria Group,
Norfolk Southern, and
The Blackstone Group. Republican Ed Gillespie's top five contributors were
BlueCross/BlueShield,
BGR Group,
The Blackstone Group, Jennmar Corporation, and the
Altria Group. Thus, Warner and Gillespie shared the Altria Group and the Blackstone Group as top five contributors. Libertarian Robert Sarvis was primarily funded through self-financing and individual contributions.
Third quarter reports After third quarter reports, the last before the election, Warner raised an additional $2 million. Gillespie pulled various television ads, stating "he [did] not have the financial resources" to match Warner.
Outside spending In the debates, Warner said, "I think we ought to get rid of all Super PACs and all outside money." However, throughout the campaign, Super PACs supported Warner while no comparable Super PAC backed Gillespie. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, as of October 23, outside groups had spent $2,571,319 to influence the election.
Campaign finance reports Cost per vote Warner spent $18,105,322 for the election and received 1,073,667 votes at $16.86 per vote. Gillespie spent $7,873,079 during the campaign and received 1,055,940 votes at $7.46 per vote. Sarvis spent $84,949 and received 53,102 votes at $1.60 per vote.
Debates and forums Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Ed Gillespie agreed to three debates and six forums. Gillespie also agreed to three additional debates, but Warner declined. Libertarian Robert Sarvis, who submitted a petition with over 1,000 signatures to debate organizers, challenged Warner and Gillespie to include him in the debates. In August, Warner accepted the challenge and requested that Sarvis be invited to the remaining debates; Gillespie did not respond. In the end, Sarvis was not invited to any of the debates, and was only invited to one joint appearance.
Confirmed debates Virginia Bar Association The
Virginia Bar Association (VBA) debate occurred at 11 a.m. on July 26 at
The Greenbrier in
White Sulphur Springs,
West Virginia.
PBS NewsHour co-anchor
Judy Woodruff moderated the debate, which was free and open to public. The VBA decided to invite only Warner and Gillespie. VBA president John L. Walker III said: "They are the only candidates who qualify under our criteria for invitations." In response to not being invited, Sarvis said, "Virginia voters lost". In addition, some political observers, like the
Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity's project
watchdog.org, noted that issues like surveillance and cronyism were missing from the debate. Fewer than 800 people watched the debate on PBS' livestream, which was characterised by
Politico as civil, with both candidates "at their best". The debate was later replayed multiple times on
C-SPAN. • Complete video of debate
Fairfax Chamber of Commerce The
Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce hosted a debate on October 7. The debate was moderated by
Chuck Todd, the host of
Meet the Press. • Complete video of debate '''The People's Debate''' The League of Women Voters of Virginia and American Association of Retired Persons of Virginia hosted "The People's Debate" on October 13 in
Richmond,
Virginia. Sarvis described the debate as the "no people's debate" because he was "the only candidate not bought and paid for by corporate interests."
Confirmed forums Arlington Civic Federation The Arlington County Civic Federation hosted a forum at 7:30pm on September 2 at Virginia Hospital Center's Hazel Auditorium in
Arlington,
Virginia. The event was recorded and televised by
Arlington Independent Media. More than one hundred people attended the Arlington forum. Sarvis participated in the event; Warner and Gillespie declined.
Northern Virginia Technology Council The Northern Virginia Technology Council and
Microsoft co-hosted a forum, at the Microsoft Offices in
Reston,
Virginia, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on September 8. Warner and Gillespie participated; Sarvis was not invited.
The Battleground The Battleground Forum with Northern Virginia Chambers of Commerce occurred between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on September 19 at the Center for Innovative Technology in
Herndon,
Virginia. Questions included the Affordable Care Act, balancing the budget, the
Marketplace Fairness Act, Virginia's economy and student loan debt. Warner's and Gillespie's answers centered around two themes: Warner speaking about his bipartisanship record and Gillespie pairing Warner with President Barack Obama. Sarvis was not invited.
Roanoke Chamber of Commerce The Roanoke Chamber of Commerce joint appearance occurred between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., at the City Market Building in
Roanoke,
Virginia, on October 6. The forum was moderated by Dr. Robert "Bob" Denton, who leads the communication department at
Virginia Tech. Warner, Gillespie, and Sarvis were invited. Warner highlighted his record of bipartisanship; Gillespie questioned whether Warner is really the centrist he claims to be; and Sarvis argued the two-party system is broken and neither of his opponents offers any meaningful change. The forum covered a variety of issues, including transportation funding, immigration reform and foreign policy, and a question about the Affordable Care Act highlighted the candidates' differences.
Sorensen Institute The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership,
Danville Register & Bee, and
WSET-TV joint appearance occurred October 14 at 7 p.m. in
Danville,
Virginia. Warner and Gillespie participated. Sarvis was not invited.
Christopher Newport University The
Christopher Newport University joint appearance took place on October 17 in Gaines Theater in
Hampton Roads,
Virginia. Warner and Gillespie answered questions from Dr. Quentin Kidd, a government professor and director of Christopher Newport University's Wason Center. The event was free and open to the public. Warner and Gillespie attended. Sarvis was not invited.
Central Business District Association The Central Business District Association joint appearance was at the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on October 23. Sarvis was not invited. == See also ==