Pamela Montgomery has taken a formidable lead in fundraising as she and Delegate Candi King (D–Stafford, Woodbridge) face each other in Tuesday’s Democratic Primary.
Montgomery has raked in $586,000 in the past two months, with King showing $165,000 in donations. Both candidates have received statewide attention after Montgomery collected nearly $100,000 from Clean Virginia, a Charlottesville-based PAC that backs candidates who refuse to take cash from Dominion Energy, the state’s largest utility.
As we reported last week when Republican Gina Ciarcia entered the race, residents in the 2nd District, who live near the Possum Point Power Station near Dumfries, are still waiting to learn if the utility will remove toxic coal ash sitting at the bottom of ponds surrounding the power plant, or cap the ponds and leave the ash in place.
King took $10,000 from Dominion, and the Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Caucus later sent a mailer to residents in the district supporting King, stating Montgomery supports Republicans. Also today, Delegate Hayla Ayala (D-Prince William County), who’s running for Lt. Governor, took $100,000 from Dominion after previous statements saying she would not accept cash from the utility.
Montgomery is also supported by Commonwealth Forward, a PAC that has given the Democrat nearly $120,000. The PAC gives to candidates seeking seats in the General Assembly who share their progressive values, and displays this mission statement on its website:
For too long, entrenched lobbyists in Richmond have dictated policies that exclusively benefit corporate interests. Commonwealth Forward was founded in response to this corrosive influence and a lack of meaningful action on campaign finance reform despite a Democratic Trifecta over the past two legislative sessions. Commonwealth Forward aims to break this vicious cycle by electing fresh, bold voices accountable only to Virginia citizens.
Prince William County School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef, who pushed to return children to the classroom during the pandemic, also endorsed Montgomery.
“Pamela Montgomery has always understood the terrible repercussions the pandemic has had on the education of our children. Her focus will be on replacing that loss of learning and making sure our schools have all the resources we need to accomplish that,” Lateef told PLN.
King was elected to the HD2 seat during a Special Election on January 5, narrowly beating her Republican opponent Heather Mitchell by 263 votes. King replaced Jennifer Carroll Foy, who stepped down from the General Assembly to focus on her run for Virginia Gubernatorial Primary Election also on Tuesday, June 8.
HD2 includes the northern section of Stafford County and the eastern portion of Prince William County. Montgomery is an attorney, served as an Army JAG lawyer, and is the chief of staff for Angela Franklin, who represents Woodbridge on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
