PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The race to be the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s newly drawn 18th senatorial district is being watched closely around the state as two stalwarts of the legislature face off: State Sen. Louise Lucas and State Sen. Lionell Spruill.
With a combined 60 years experience, after Tuesday one is poised to win another four-year term representing the heavy blue district, the other will likely be making plans for retirement.
Out of the 10 primary contests being held in Hampton Roads on Tuesday, Lucas and Spruill have by far raised and spent the most money.
Ironically, the majority of their funds have come from the same donor. However, a battle between gaming interests is also playing out between the pair.
The two longtime Democratic lawmakers are primarying each other due to the Commonwealth’s once in a decade redistricting process.
Lucas, 79, was first elected to state senate in 1991 after serving on Portsmouth City Council. In 2020, she was elected as the first woman and African American president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate. She hasn’t faced a primary challenger in more than 20 years.
Spruill, 76, was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1994 after serving on Chesapeake City Council. He won a special election for the Senate following the resignation of Kenny Alexander, who was elected Norfolk’s mayor in 2016.
The Virginia Supreme Court redrew the maps after Virginia’s new redistricting commission reached an impasse along partisan lines. For the first time in recent history, the lines were drawn with no consideration to pairing incumbents together in the same district. Many were, including Lucas and Spruill.
It lead to a wave of retirements and resignations. Virginia’s Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D-Fairfax) tried to convince the special masters of the new maps to unpair Lucas and Spruill, saying they “inadvertently ‘double bunked’ two heroes of Virginia’s civil rights movement. However, the appeal had little effect.
Now, for more than a month, both have been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV ads, bolstering their character while trying to bring down their opponent.
Lucas and Spruill have both raised upwards of $2 million since they last were elected in 2019. Between April 1 and June 8, both have spent a majority of those funds getting out their message.
The top donor to both candidates is Dominion Energy, the state’s largest regulated electric utility that is known for its heavy political involvement.
They’ve donated $490,000 to Lucas since 2020 and $420,000 to Spruill.
Dr. Ben Melusky, a political science professor at Old Dominion University, said he’s not surprised to see them not picking sides. Both have long been supporters of Dominion Energy backed legislation.
“You want to have both of these candidates on your side,” Melusky said. “You don’t want one them coming back and saying ‘You gave to my opposition and I squeezed out a win and I’m not going to answer your phone calls moving forward.'”
Regardless of who wins, Melusky said Lucas and Spruill will likely have considerable power because of their longevity in Richmond.
Bonita Billingsley Harris, director of media relations for Dominion Energy, spoke more generally about the donations.
“Dominion Energy participates in the political process because we represent millions of customers and thousands of employees,” Billingsley Harris said. “They depend on us for reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy. Like most companies, we contribute to candidates from both parties in support of commonsense public policy that benefits our customers. In the most recent Virginia General Assembly session, for example, we spearheaded bipartisan legislation that significantly lowered our customers’ rates and strengthened regulatory oversight.”
When you look at the industry of Lucas’ second top donor, you can find where a different type of battle is being fought in this race.
Lucas has accepted more than $210,000 from casino operators and casino supporters since 2020. Lucas spearheaded a bill to bring casino gaming to Virginia in order to help her hometown of Portsmouth with revenue.
This past spring, Lucas was part of a majority that killed a bill that would allow the city of Petersburg the opportunity to try an develop a casino over Richmond. The developer behind Richmond’s proposal has donated $77,500 to Lucas.
Rivers Casino and its owner, Neil Bloom, have donated a combined $60,000.
Spruill, while voting to support all casino bills, has seen backing from a different group in the gaming industry: supporters of skill games.
In the last two months, Spruill has accepted more than $70,000 from either game manufacturers or bar and restaurant owners who benefit from their operation.
Skill games are common in gas stations, convenience stores and truck stops throughout the state. While they resemble slot machines, supporters argue they require some skill, similar to traditional arcade games.
The General Assembly passed a bill to ban them in 2020, after the unregulated and untaxed machines had already proliferated. In 2021, a judge blocked the enforcement of the law during an ongoing legal battle, allowing customers to keep playing for now.
Louise has been vocal in her opposition to the games saying previously, “look … I don’t want the gray machines in Virginia interfering with my casino. Bottom line. End of subject.”
While Spruill also voted to support a ban, a local bar chain owner not authorized to speak publicly on the effort said game manufacturers and business owners who used them have banded together to back Spruill.
“He talks to us and understands these games aren’t hurting casinos,” the individual said. “Plus this supports small business.”
When asked why he initially voted for the ban, Spruill released the following statement.
“I always put the people of Hampton Roads first in the General Assembly in my decades of service to the region,” Spruill said. “I support having well-regulated casinos in Virginia that generate tax revenue and create jobs in the hospitality sector. Having games of skill would make our casinos competitive with those in other states. I’m grateful for the strong support I have from residents and businesses across Hampton Roads.”
Melusky said it’s fairly common for competing interests to pick sides.
“You potentially want somebody who is going to be a little more favorable to some of your policy options moving forward,” Melusky said.
We’ll find out who is moving forward soon. For more on how your candidates campaign is financed, you can check out the Virginia Public Access Project.