Easter Sunday starts in the 40s with a partly cloudy sky at sunrise, holding in the 60s for the afternoon
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, knows she’s one of the top targets in the country for Republicans who want to seize control of Congress in the midterm elections, but she’s well-financed for the challenge.
Spanberger, seeking her third term in Congress but her first in a newly configured district that no longer includes the Richmond suburbs, has raised more than $4.2 million, including more than $1.1 million in the last quarter, ending March 31.
She ended the quarter with almost $3.9 million in the bank, as a group of Republican challengers narrows with a primary scheduled in June.
“The thousands of doors we’ve knocked and millions of dollars we’ve raised demonstrate the tremendous amount of enthusiasm for Abigail’s people-powered campaign — and it reflects the high level of engagement that we are seeing on the ground,” said Sam Signori, campaign manager for Spanberer.
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“Virginians know that Abigail is working hard in Congress, responding to the economic concerns of the communities she represents, and delivering results,” Signori said.
Two other incumbent Democratic congresswomen targeted by Republicans — Rep. Elaine Luria, D-2nd, and Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th — also reported big campaign war chests to prepare for the midterm challenges.
Luria ended the last quarter with more than $3.1 million after raising $1.2 million for a total of $4 million in the cycle that began last year. Wexton had more than $3 million on hand at the end of March, after raising $548,481 during the quarter and almost $1.7 million during the two-year cycle.
In the Richmond area, Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, reported raising almost $345,000 for the quarter and more than $1.1 million for the cycle. Wittman ended March with $673,459 on hand.
His Democratic opponent, Herb Jones, announced his candidacy last month and had not reported his initial campaign fund raising by Friday.
Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th, also had not reported by Friday evening, but held a commanding fund-raising lead at the end of last year over Republican challenger Leon Benjamin, whom he defeated by more than 90,000 votes two years ago.
McEachin raised $449,383 last year, compared to $85,061 for Benjamin, who also had not reported quarterly totals.
Rep. Bob Good, R-5th, who now represents Powhatan and Goochland counties and a portion of Hanover, raised $152,092 during the quarter and $670,370 overall. He ended March with about $376,000 in hand.
Josh Throneburg, a Charlottesville minister who just clinched the Democratic nomination in the 5th, has raised $307,678, including $37,524 in the last quarter, which he ended with $149,037.
The opposition to Spanberger, Luria and Wexton in the battleground districts is still taking shape, with some campaigns filing their quarterly reports late on Friday under a midnight deadline.
In the 7th, the GOP field has winnowed from eight to six candidates, but only two — Prince William Supervisor Yesli Vega and Spotsylvania Supervisor David Ross — had reports filed in time for the initial release by the Virginia Public Access Project early Friday evening.
Vega, who recently attracted attention with a highly public endorsement by Ginni Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, had raised $356,810 through the end of March and had almost $294,000 in hand.
Ross raised $142,672 and finished the quarter with $121,271 on hand.
Derrick Anderson, a Green Beret combat veteran from Spotsylvania County, reported raising $231,834 during the quarter and more than $521,000 overall.
Anderson, who moved from Goochland back to Spotsylvania after giving up a position at a Richmond law firm to run for Congress, had $371,281 on hand at the end of March, according to his report to the Federal Elections Commission.
“Our campaign for Congress is picking up steam at just the right time,” he said in a pre-deadline announcement on Thursday.
Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Crystal Vanuch reported to the FEC that she had raised $483,589 — including $400,000 in debt — and had $468,091 in hand. “I’m incredibly grateful to all of our supporters who have rallied behind us in the first weeks of our campaign,” she said in her news release on April 4.
Two other contenders — state Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, and Prince William teacher Gina Ciarcia — had not filed their quarterly fund-raising results by Friday evening.
However, Reeves later reported to the Federal Elections Commission that he had raised $268,925 during the quarter and $519,238 overall. He reported $390,407 in hand at the end of March.
Reeves had raised $250,000 through the end of December. Ciarcia didn’t launch her campaign until after the previous quarter ended.
Ciarcia reported raising $33,600 during the period, with $13,478 on hand, according to the FEC.
Two others — Stafford resident Gary Adkins and Spotsylvania resident Michael Monteforte — have dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination. Adkins withdrew on Friday, according to a statement filed with the Federal Elections Commission, and the Virginia Public Access Project no longer lists Monteforte as a qualified candidate.
In the 2nd District, state Sen. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, has a widening fund-raising lead in the four-way race for the GOP nomination. Kiggans raised $434,532 in the quarter and $1.1 million during the cycle, ending March with $592,553 in hand.
Jarome Bell has raised $96,542 in the quarter and more than $424,000 overall, but ended March with just $9,437 in the bank, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Tommy Altman had raised a total of $188,651, including $43,270 during the quarter, and had $19,337 on hand. No report was on file for Andy Baan.
Prince William Supervisor Jeanine Lawson appears to lead the 12-candidate GOP pack in the 10th District. Lawson has raised more than $843,000, including about $305,000 in the last quarter. She had $545,734 in the bank.
Hung Cao has raised $314,316 and had $223,711 in hand at the end of March.
Caleb Max, grandson of former 10th District Rep. Frank Wolf, raised $201,076 — most of it in loans that he made or guaranteed, according to the filing at the Federal Elections Commission — and held $149,104 at the end of March.
Among the other Republican candidates who had reported by Friday evening: Dave Beckwith had raised $49,142, with $34,060 on hand; Theresa Ellis had raised a total of $78,227, including $18,075 in the quarter, and had $16,078 on hand; John Henley had raised $47,973 and had $4,498 on hand; and Brooke Taylor had raised $58,300 and had $50,605 on hand.
31 photos from the Times-Dispatch archives
In April 1956, a new air raid siren was installed atop a small tower (behind street sign) at the corner of Laburnum Avenue and Brook Road in Richmond. It was one of three new sirens being installed to broaden the city's Civil Defense warning system. The other two were placed at John B. Cary School and at Engine Co. 20 on Forest Hill Avenue.
In August 1946, leaders of the three flights in the Gamble’s Hill Community Center Air Scouts received their banners at the first review of the corps held in Gamble’s Hill Park. This was the only troop of Air Scouts organized in Richmond at that time; they wore the regulation National Air Scout uniform. Pictured (from left) were pilot leader Eddie Williams, sponsor Verna Walker, pilot leader William Massie, sponsor Barbara Chandler, pilot leader Everett Webb and sponsor Virginia Blackburn. The community center was financed by Second Presbyterian Church.
This March 1952 image shows a wagon, believed to have been Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s during the Civil War, as it was retired to the Army’s Richmond Quartermaster Depot at Bellwood. The wagon was among numerous items being transferred from Cameron Station in Alexandria; it can still be seen at the Army Quartermaster Museum at Fort Lee.
In June 1939 at the state Capitol in Richmond, the first of a planned dozen Chevrolet bookmobiles of the Statewide Library Project was put into service. The project, which aimed to expand book availability in rural areas, was part of the Work Projects Administration, a New Deal employment program. At right, WPA official Ella Agnew turned over the key to C.W. Dickinson Jr. of the State Board of Education. With them were (from left) F.E. Gross of Chevrolet, Leslie Stevens of the Virginia State Library, project technical supervisor Mary Gaver and project administrative supervisor W.A. Moon Jr.
This June 1952 image shows one of “Dr. Duval’s pills,” part of a trio of 30-inch granite Turkish cannonballs, in its new location at John Marshall High School at Eighth and Marshall streets in Richmond. After standing for many years on a pedestal in front of Grays’ Armory at Seventh and Marshall, this one was destined to join its two mates at the city Works Department trash heap at the old fairgrounds, where those two had lain missing since World War II until being rediscovered in January 1952. This one was instead saved with a move out of the way of downtown traffic.
When this photo of Cloverleaf Mall was taken in March 1975, the shopping center was just three years old.
In May 1946, the future of the military draft was in question, and David Burruss, 19, of Norfolk, got lots of attention when he was thought to be the last man selected at the Richmond Armed Forces Induction Station. He was among about a dozen inductees who then headed off to Fort Meade in Maryland. (The wartime selective service act was extended, though.)
In December 1953, the new whirlaway, a merry-go-round type of gadget turned by the foot power of dozens of students, was popular at Dumbarton Elementary School in Henrico County. The attraction was part of a new set of playground equipment purchased with $750 donated by the Lakeside Lions Club. Watching the children (from left) were H.F. Taylor, Lions Club president; Joseph Rotella, school principal; and F.M. Armbrecht, chairman of the PTA recreation committee.
This April 1955 image shows men dipping for herring in Falling Creek in Chesterfield County. Herring would arrive in rivers in the spring to spawn, and dipping was a popular activity that allowed men to socialize while stocking up on fish that could be salted and eaten throughout the year.
In May 1948, flooding from heavy rains in the Windsor Shades area of New Kent County washed out a Chesapeake & Ohio Railway bed, leaving unsupported rails spanning a chasm. The flooded U.S. Route 60 is in the foreground. As much as 8 feet of water was reported on Route 60 in the area.
This August 1936 image shows the former headquarters of the Army’s 80th Division at Camp Lee near Petersburg. The building was constructed during World War I and later known as David House. In 1972, it was designated as a historical site; it is still standing today as the oldest building at Fort Lee and the only one left from WWI.
This October 1955 image shows Laurel Elementary School in Henrico County, which was a constant source of complaints. The building, dating to the early 1900s, was not being maintained to a high standard because the county planned to abandon it for a new school soon. Most of the broken windows seen were on the unused third and fourth floors. While Henrico hoped to have the new Maude Trevvett Elementary opened by September 1956, it did not open until January 1958.
In October 1961, a crane swung a wrecking ball against the portico of the old John Marshall High School in downtown Richmond as a nostalgic crowd watched. The building was being razed to make way for development of the new Civic Center; the new high school opened in North Side the previous year.
In June 1975, the band Ice Water performed in the Flintstone Follies Theater at Kings Dominion in Doswell. The theme park fully opened the previous month with 15 attractions; its Lion Country Safari area had opened in 1974. Today, the park offers more than 60 rides, shows and attractions as well as a water park.
In May 1975, Gov. Mills E. Godwin Jr. greeted a porpoise on the opening day of Kings Dominion in Doswell. The theme park opened with 15 attractions; its Lion Country Safari area had opened a year before. Today, the park offers more than 60 rides, shows and attractions as well as a water park.
This October 1955 image shows Laurel Elementary School in Henrico County, which was a constant source of complaints. The building, dating to the early 1900s, was not being maintained to a high standard because the county planned to abandon it for a new school soon. Most of the broken windows seen were on the unused third and fourth floors. While Henrico hoped to have the new Maude Trevvett Elementary opened by September 1956, it did not open until January 1958.
This April 1946 image shows members of the Girl Reserve Club at Maggie Walker High School in Richmond. Club activities included drama, knitting, glass painting, embroidery and sewing. From left were Laura Belle Manning, Marie Spurlock, Eloise Taylor and Gladys Claxton.
In February 1951, this window display, using Richmond Times-Dispatch and Richmond News-Leader pages for a background, was set up in a Grace Street window of Miller & Rhoads in connection with the approach of Easter and new spring finery. Addison Lewis was director of window displays at the department store for 52 years, a span in which the scenes became extremely popular.
The June 10, 1961, edition of The Richmond News Leader included a photo essay titled “Contrasts.” The photos depicted old and new around the city — such as a mule and a truck, which were both relied on for hauling duties.
In April 1947, about 20,000 pounds of paper was collected in a drive at Dumbarton Elementary School in Henrico County, with Edward O'Brien (from left), Leroy Foster and Thomas Riggan in charge. The paper was sold, with proceeds used to purchase library books and other materials for students. The previous year, paper-drive money purchased a mimeographing machine for teacher use.
This May 1959 image shows construction along Patterson Avenue between Libbie and Maple avenues in Richmond. This block had just reopened to traffic, but ongoing work continued to block passage to the east of the shopping center.
In August 1970, a student peered out of a Richmond Public Schools bus on a rainy morning as cross-town busing began in the city. Amid controversy, about 13,000 students in Richmond were bused to different schools under a federal court order to help achieve integration.
In March 1930, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway’s new luxury train, the Sportsman, stopped at Main Street Station in Richmond on the last leg of an exhibition tour ahead of service beginning on a new route from Norfolk to Detroit and Cleveland. In its day on exhibit in Richmond, the train was visited by about 10,000 people, including Gov. John Pollard, Lt. Gov. James Price, Mayor J. Fulmer Bright and numerous other local and state dignitaries.
In August 1942, members of the canteen class, sponsored by the Richmond chapter of the American Red Cross, finished their course with a demonstration of mass feeding at the Sauer Co. Among those serving were (from left) Mrs. T.V. Adamson, Mrs. Thomas Cook, Mrs. Keeling Sisson and Mrs. Irving Matthews.
In March 1943, teenagers visited the newly reopened Main Street Station Dining Room in Richmond, which was closed for a month to allow for remodeling required by the city. During that period, the Red Cross stepped in to supply food to World War II servicemen passing through the terminal.
This August 1963 aerial image shows the area between the Hotel Richmond and Interstate 95. In the distance is the Centennial Dome, which was constructed as a visitor center for the 1961 Civil War Centennial. It then served for decades as the Jonah L. Larrick Student Center at the Medical College of Virginia.
In November 1949, Richmond’s electric streetcars, which began service in 1888, were retired from service. Here, a crowd waited to board cars as they took ceremonial final trips through the city, with car signs touting the city’s new bus service. The Virginia Transit Co. spent $2.2 million on 166 buses for the new system.
In November 1934, a reproduction of a mule-drawn trolley was the first vehicle to cross the newly restored Marshall Street Viaduct in Richmond. Horse- or mule-drawn trolleys were a preferred mode of transportation here starting in about 1860. They began to be replaced by electric trolleys in the late 1880s, and they were all retired by 1901.
This June 1950 image shows the former Westwood Circle in Richmond, a traffic circle at the intersection of North Boulevard, Hermitage Road and Westwood Avenue. In November 1961, a $150,000 project removed the circle, added islands and traffic signals, and diverted some traffic around the busy intersection. City safety official John Hanna called the intersection the “most complicated we have had to redesign and signalize in the past 14 years.”
In January 1988, Lt. Gov. L. Douglas Wilder (left) shared a laugh with tennis star and humanitarian Arthur Ashe at a birthday celebration for Wilder in Richmond. The gala raised money for Wilder’s upcoming race for governor; his victory made him the first African-American elected governor in the nation.
This January 1955 image shows businessmen using the Health Club at the downtown Richmond YMCA. The Health Club, which featured massages, ultraviolet and infrared lamps, and steam rooms, promoted its services as the busy businessman’s alternative to exercise. The local Y had been celebrating its 100th anniversary, having been formed in 1854 — just 10 years after the international association was established.
