The Connection

Top Vogel Donors

• $310,000 from William Holtzman of Edinburg with fuel distributor Holtzman Oil Corp

• $95,711 from Jill Vogel for Senate, the candidate's Warrenton-based campaign committee for her Senate seat

• $60,000 from Ann Holtzman of Ann Holtzman of Edinburg with fuel distributor Holtzman Oil Group

• $28,500 from Michael Smith of Middleburg with the food distributor Valley Proteins

• $25,000 from Vito John Germinario of Middleburg with developer LGV Group LLC

Top Davis Donors

• $5,000 from the Gate City-based candidate committee for Del. Terry Kilgore (R-1)

• $5,000 from the Virginia Beach commercial real estate firm Pembroke Enterprises

• $5,000 from the Virginia Beach-based candidate committee of former U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell (R-2)

• $3,500 from Bruce Thompson of Virginia Beach with the real-estate developer Gold Key/Professional Hospitality

• $2,500 from former state Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R-34) of Vienna

Top Reeves Donors

• $230,000 from Bryce Reeves for Senate, the candidate’s Fredericksburg-based campaign committee for his Senate seat

• $210,075 from Revitalize Virginia PAC, the Henrico-based candidate committee funded in part by lender Check into Cash, insurance company USAA and defense shipbuilder Advanced Integrated Technology

• $25,000 from Illinois-based insurance company Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Co.

• $25,000 from John Nau of Houston with the alcohol distributor Silver Eagle Distributors

• $20,000 from Bruce Gates of Alexandria with tobacco manufacturer Altria Client Services

In a crowded room at George Mason University a few days ago, Republicans from across Northern Virginia who gathered to hear the three Republicans running for lieutenant governor heard something a little different — a Republican candidate who is campaigning on her ability to break with the GOP and vote with Democrats.

“In the time that I’ve been in the legislature, since the first year that I was elected I put principle over party,” said state Sen. Jill Vogel (R-27). “And I was willing to break with my caucus on issues that really mattered to me and mattered to my constituents.”

Vogel is pitching herself as a candidate for lieutenant governor who would be able to work with Democrats in the legislature and even — possibly — a Democrat in the Executive Mansion. During the George Mason debate, she made that case directly to voters, saying that bringing jobs to Virginia should not be partisan issue.

“It’s misplaced to always talk about these things in a partisan way because they are not partisan issues,” she said. "They’re management issues. How would you manage your business to make it more competitive?”

Her opponent, state Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-17) takes a more confrontational view to politics.

“See I view politics like mold,” he told the audience at George Mason. "Everybody think in your shower, you see mold growing in the grout, right? What happens if you don’t kill the mold with bleach? It grows. That’s politics. And you put that on good policies, and if you don’t kill that mold right away, it will kill good policy.”

Reeves says he’s willing to work with Democrats on issues where they can agree. After the debate, he said said he wanted to accomplish tangible goals if elected.

“If you’re looking for someone who is just sitting around to be the next governor, that’s not me. I would be a working lieutenant governor. That’s why I went for the job, and I want to get some things done and some heavy lifting done. That’s why I’m running for the office.”

When asked if that meant he would not run for governor in four years, the senator declined to make a commitment.

“I’m not saying I wouldn’t,” he said. "I’m just saying most people run for lieutenant governor job and they sit on their laurels, and I don’t want to do that.”

Perhaps the most well-traveled candidate in the race is Del. Glenn Davis (R-84). For the last year, he’s been crisscrossing the state in a motor coach known affectionately as Mellow Yellow. He says all those miles have given him a broader understanding of the state and what he says should be the singular focus of the next lieutenant governor — jobs.

“As far as policies that set us apart,” he said, "I’ve actually got tax reform policies that I’ve passed and also some that I’ve already put together on my website that get rid of double taxation policies on Virginia businesses that are driving jobs and businesses away from Virginia to North Carolina, D.C. and then Maryland.”

On the campaign trail, Davis also talks about his experience in the General Assembly, especially his time on the a cybersecurity subcommittee.

“If I heard one more time that Maryland was the place to be for cybersecurity I was going to jump out a window,” he said at one campaign stop. "They don’t have the silver bullet. They’re just really good at talking about themselves. And unfortunately in Virginia we don’t tend to market ourselves and handle that PR very well.”