Speaker Bill Howell, long-time incumbent delegate in Virginia’s 28th district has raised more than three times his primary challenger, former Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Susan Stimpson.
According to the State Board of Elections, Howell has received $165,738 in contributions this quarter. Stimpson has raised $46,135.
“The numbers are pretty one-sided. Howell has raised a lot more money than Stimpson,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington.
Farnsworth stated that for Stimpson, raising a comparable amount of funds during the primary is going to be paramount.
“Money is a really important issue for a challenger especially. Challengers really struggle to get their name out in primaries. And so successful challengers need to raise a significant amount of money to participate in a primary contest that generally calls very few voters to the polls,” said Farnsworth.
In the past, Howell has faced few primary challengers or serious opposition for his delegate seat, and this large amount of fundraising shows that he is taking Stimpson seriously as a challenger.
“The main thing that Howell’s fundraising advantage shows us is that he is taking this challenger very, very seriously. One of the consequences of Eric Cantor’s defeat in the primaries last year is that Republican incumbents are very careful not to be surprised by challengers…It’s clear he sees himself having to work much harder in this contest than in previous ones. A lot more door knocking – a lot more signs in town,” Farnsworth commented.
The Republican primary between Howell and Stimpson will take place on June 9.
