Dr. Danny Avula was the top fundraiser in Richmond’s five-person mayoral contest for the month of September, raising a little more than $240,000 for the month.

A new batch of campaign finance reports filed late Tuesday night showed few major shifts in the rankings of which candidates are raising the most money.

For the entire election cycle, Avula has now raised more than $1 million, making him the first candidate to pass that milestone. Software investor Harrison Roday wasn’t too far behind after raising more than $916,000 across the entirety of his campaign.

Money surges into City Council contests

In the City Council races, the three-way 6th District race between incumbent Ellen Robertson and challengers Willie Hilliard and Tavares Floyd continues to see the biggest numbers. Floyd has taken in $141,410, two-thirds of it from other states, although just $10,500 of that was amassed during the last reporting period. Robertson, meanwhile, has raised almost $74,000 and Hilliard almost $17,000.

In the 3rd District, another three-person race and the second-most expensive contest to date, current School Board member Kenya Gibson continues to hold the fundraising lead, with over $51,000 in the bank. She was also the biggest fundraiser of the period, reporting nearly $25,000 in receipts.

Much of that is due to an influx of in-kind donations, including over $13,000 from New Virginia Majority, almost $3,000 from the political action arm of the SEIU labor union and $3,300 from Richmond for All, a group Gibson helped found.

Gibson's opponent Maria Carra Rose has taken in just over $41,000 and incumbent Ann-Frances Lambert has raised more than $35,000. Both saw modest bumps in fundraising over the last reporting period, with Carra Rose taking in about $6,500 and Lambert almost $4,000. 

The biggest spender in September was Floyd. The 6th District candidate reported spending over $45,000 during the month, including almost $19,000 to Whitney Consults. 

Top donors in mayoral race

This section has been corrected. Harrison Roday's father no longer works for Genworth, which was incorrectly stated in an initial version.

A deeper look at each candidate's top three contributors over the entirety of the campaign (with the exception of Neblett, who is almost exclusively self-funded):

Danny Avula's top donors

Home Building Association of Richmond ($56,000) is a trade group whose members are active in developing multifamily housing, which accounts for the bulk of new residential construction in the city.

Basim M. Mansour ($26,500) is president of Michael & Son, a Northern Virginia-based plumbing contractor with a significant presence in Richmond. Mansour, who has grown a family business started by his immigrant parents, is also a top donor to Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s bid for statewide office. 

Kenneth Newsome ($25,000) is the CEO of Richmond-based Markel Food Group, which combined AMF Bakery Systems, Reading Bakery Systems, and Solbers into the world’s leading food equipment supplier.

Harrison Roday's top donors

Thomas J. McInerney ($115,000) is President and CEO of Genworth, a publicly traded insurance company based in Henrico County. According to VPAP, McInerney is a prolific political donor, having given nearly $1.3 million to state and local candidates since 2016. He is a top donor to Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s bid for statewide office.

New Virginia Majority ($62,542) is a statewide grassroots organization that focuses on economic justice, criminal justice and environmental justice. NVM has endorsed Roday and provided his campaign with in-kind services such as field staff and direct mail. 

James E. Ukrop ($50,000) has a long history in local business, and has invested in a variety of local cultural, civic and political causes. He has donated nearly $1.7 million to state and local candidates since 1997. The Ukrop family led the fight against a 2023 casino referendum.

Michelle Mosby's top donors

James E. “JJ” Minor III ($53,750) is a longtime political operative who has served in leadership roles in the local Democratic committee and NAACP. The son of state Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, Minor has consulted for numerous Democratic candidates, including former Mayor Dwight Jones. Nearly all of Minor’s campaign contributions to the Mosby campaign consist of donated consulting services.

Don Mark ($35,510) served as deputy chief of staff for Mayor Dwight Jones and state director for President Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012. All of Mark’s campaign contributions consist of donated consulting services, not cash donations.

Selena Cuffee-Glenn ($23,575) was hired in 2015 as the chief administrative officer under Mayor Dwight Jones. His successor, Levar Stoney, retained her in the CAO role until he fired her in September 2019 after reports that she had hired a family member. She opened a consulting practice in 2020. Nearly all of her campaign contributions to the Mosby campaign consist of donated consulting services.

Andreas Addison's top donors

A transfer of funds from Addison for City Council ($16,500) represents the largest donation his mayoral campaign has received. Addison ran successfully for council in 2016 and 2020. His council campaign account reported a balance of nearly $16,000 at the end of 2023, just before he announced his campaign for mayor. 

Gary Watkins ($10,000). Watkins is the co-founder of ACA Compliance Group, which provides compliance advisory serves and technology solutions to financial institutions.

Allison Vanderberg ($7,500) is Addison’s spouse. The couple married in 2023. An accountant with degrees from Michigan State and the University of Virginia, Vanderberg is a partner in the risk management practice of Ernst & Young’s office in Richmond. She serves on the Maymont board of directors.

Last month's donations tilt towards Avula and Roday:

Avula, the city’s former public health director, and Roday both took in six-figure sums last month as the other three candidates in the race lagged well behind. 

Avula continued to get solid financial support from the real estate and development industries, receiving $12,500 from the Housing RVA PAC and $5,000 from the Richmond REALTORS PAC. He also received a $17,500 contribution from Basim Mansour, the owner of the home services company Michael & Son.

More than $57,000 of Roday’s $189,115 total for the month came in the form of in-kind support from the progressive activist group New Virginia Majority. Roday received another $25,000 from Genworth Financial CEO Thomas McInerney, bumping McInerney’s total support for Roday’s campaign to $115,000. Roday also got $2,500 from Common Good Virginia, a PAC affiliated with former Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

Former City Council president and hair salon owner Michelle Mosby raised $44,481 in September, bringing her cycle total to about $335,000. 

As in past reporting periods, much of Mosby’s total consists of in-kind goods and services donated by supporters rather than direct financial contributions. In total, Mosby has reported receiving $36,650 in consulting services from local political activist James “JJ” Minor, $35,510 in consulting services from former City Hall aide Don Mark and $23,575 in consulting services from former city chief administrative officer Selena Cuffee-Glenn.

Though the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the race, the pro-abortion rights group’s CEO Paulette McElwain gave Mosby $200 in mid-September. McAuliffe’s PAC had given $2,500 to Mosby early in the year.

City Councilor and gym owner Andreas Addison raised $21,264 for the period, pushing his total to a little less than $150,000 for the cycle. Addison’s top donor in September was his wife, Allison Vanderberg, who contributed $7,500.

Community organizer Maurice Neblett raised $4,355 in September for a total of $6,806 for the cycle. He gave his own campaign $3,500 late last month.