Ed Gillespie closes financial gap with Ralph Northam in Virginia governor's race
Ed Gillespie
Ed Gillespie   left  is the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia;  Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam  is the Democratic candidate. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate  Ed Gillespie  started to close a financial gap with Democratic rival Ralph Northam in October  new filings show.
 Gillespie  raised $9.7 million between Oct. 1 and Oct. 26  while  Northam  pulled in nearly $11 million  according to records compiled Tuesday by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
The late flood of campaign money is unprecedented in modern Virginia history  according to VPAP. Together  Gillespie and  Northam  raised almost twice what the gubernatorial contenders collected in the same period four years ago.
 Northam   the stateâs lieutenant governor  also significantly outspent  Gillespie  in October  $15 million to $10.7 million. Doing so meant losing the 2-to-1 cash advantage he had over  Gillespie  since the summer.
With 12 days before Election Day   Northam  had $1.7 million left in campaign accounts to  Gillespie âs $1.4 million. Libertarian candidate Cliff Hyra raised $11 000 in the October period  ending with about $5 000 on hand.
Republican Ed Gillespie and Democratic Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam are running in this year's closely watched race for Virginia governor. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)
The Republican Governors Association on Monday gave $2.8 million to  Gillespie âs campaign â the largest single donation to a gubernatorial candidate in recent memory  according to VPAP.
The tightening of the money race comes as most polls show Northam with a slight lead or in a dead heat with  Gillespie   a longtime GOP operative. Virginiaâs governorâs race is widely viewed as a test of politics in the era of President Trump and a hint of whatâs to come in next yearâs midterm elections.
 Gillespie  has been airing hard-edge ads seeking to tie Northam to MS-13 gang violence and a sex offender who briefly got his rights restored. Northam countered with a commercial blasting  Gillespie âs ads as âfalse attacksâ and âdespicable â while the Latino Victory Fund released a controversial commercial featuring a  Gillespie  supporter in a pickup truck chasing a group of minority children.
 Gillespie âs earlier fundraising troubles raised questions about why a well-connected former head of the Republican National Committee â and a lobbyist and consultant for Fortune 500 companies â wasnât able to keep up.
In the October filing period  the Republican Governors Association poured $4.75 million into  Gillespie âs bid  nearly half his haul. He also received $250 000 from Marlene Ricketts  a conservative donor who bankrolled an effort to stop Trump from securing the GOP nomination. Investment banker and GOP donor Thomas Saunders and Haulover Creek Development Co. each pitched in $100 000.
[TGT] left  is the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia;  Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam  is the Democratic candidate. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate   [TGT] started to close a financial gap with Democratic rival Ralph Northam in October  new filings show.
  [TGT] raised $9.7 million between Oct. 1 and Oct. 26  while  Northam  pulled in nearly $11 million  according to records compiled Tuesday by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
The late flood of campaign money is unprecedented in modern Virginia history  according to VPAP. Together  Gillespie and  Northam  raised almost twice what the gubernatorial contenders collected in the same period four years ago.
 Northam   the stateâs lieutenant governor  also significantly outspent  Gillespie  in October  $15 million to $10.7 million. Doing so meant losing the 2-to-1 cash advantage he had over   [TGT] since the summer.
With 12 days before Election Day   Northam  had $1.7 million left in campaign accounts to   [TGT]  âs $1.4 million. Libertarian candidate Cliff Hyra raised $11 000 in the October period  ending with about $5 000 on hand.
Republican Ed Gillespie and Democratic Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam are running in this year's closely watched race for Virginia governor. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)
The Republican Governors Association on Monday gave $2.8 million to   [TGT]  âs campaign â the largest single donation to a gubernatorial candidate in recent memory  according to VPAP.
The tightening of the money race comes as most polls show Northam with a slight lead or in a dead heat with  Gillespie   a longtime GOP operative. Virginiaâs governorâs race is widely viewed as a test of politics in the era of President Trump and a hint of whatâs to come in next yearâs midterm elections.
 Gillespie  has been airing hard-edge ads seeking to tie Northam to MS-13 gang violence and a sex offender who briefly got his rights restored. Northam countered with a commercial blasting  Gillespie âs ads as âfalse attacksâ and âdespicable â while the Latino Victory Fund released a controversial commercial featuring a  Gillespie  supporter in a pickup truck chasing a group of minority children.
 Gillespie âs earlier fundraising troubles raised questions about why a well-connected former head of the Republican National Committee â and a lobbyist and consultant for Fortune 500 companies â wasnât able to keep up.
In the October filing period  the Republican Governors Association poured $4.75 million into  Gillespie âs bid  nearly half his haul. He also received $250 000 from Marlene Ricketts  a conservative donor who bankrolled an effort to stop Trump from securing the GOP nomination. Investment banker and GOP donor Thomas Saunders and Haulover Creek Development Co. each pitched in $100 000.