Bill Bolling

Ken Cuccinelli

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling has a fundraising advantage over Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in the early stages of their battle for the 2013 Republican gubernatorial nomination, according to totals the two campaigns have released in the past week.

Bolling raised more than $961,000 in the first six months of this year and reached June 30 with nearly $1.5 million on hand, his campaign said last week. The campaign listed 747 individual contributions in the report it filed with the state Board of Elections.

Cuccinelli raised more than $534,000 in the first six months of the year and had more than $795,000 on hand at the close of the fundraising period. The 3,800 donations to Cuccinelli’s campaign included more than 2,000 new donors, he said. More than 1,300 of the new donors are from Virginia, according to Cuccinelli’s campaign.

Republicans will choose their statewide ticket in a convention next year. The party had decided last year to have an open primary to pick its nominees. But the party’s governing body reversed that decision last month over Bolling’s objections.

While Bolling has a cash advantage, Cuccinelli said the number of individual donors to his campaign reflects the kind of grassroots support that is essential to winning in conventions.

Here’s what each candidate had to say about his fundraising numbers, which were filed with the board of elections today.

Said Bolling: “I am very pleased by the strong financial support I have received from Virginia’s business leaders and other friends and supporters from all across our state.  I appreciate their willingness to give of their hard earned money to support my campaign for Governor.  They recognize that I am the most qualified candidate for Governor and the logical choice to build on the record of results-oriented conservative leadership that Governor McDonnell and I have put in place over the past 2½ years.  They also know that to retain the Governor’s office we have to nominate an electable candidate, and I am the only Republican candidate for Governor who can energize and mobilize the base of the Republican Party, while at the same time reaching out to the Independent voters whose support you must have to win statewide elections in Virginia.  I am honored to have their support and humbled by the confidence they have placed in me.”

Cuccinelli said: ‘I am very proud of the convincing grassroots strength that my campaign for Governor is displaying, especially this early in the race.  With nearly 3800 donations in the last six months and 2017 new donors to my campaign for Governor, these are exactly the type of numbers we need to be putting on the board.  We are running in a convention – and that means grassroots strength is the key to victory.”

– Michael Sluss