Here we are, Fifth District voters—a-balloting, avoiding, or simply awaiting the results of the Congressional race between Democratic incumbent Tom Perriello and Republican challenger Robert Hurt. As of 9am, the city’s voter turnout was roughly 10 percent of registered voters, while the county’s turnout neared 15 percent. (The next turnout numbers arrive at 1pm.)
C-VILLE plans to post updates throughout the day, with coverage ramping up tonight as precincts start to report results. For starters, however, let’s spend some time with…well, with what people and political action committees spent on candidates.
New York Times’ FiveThirtyEight blog has an admirable collection of charts, statistics, predictions and dollar signs for our Fifth District deul. Below, a few interesting tidbits:
- Individuals who list the University of Virginia as their employer gave a combined $27,675 to Perriello’s campaign committee during the 2010 election cycle. Donors include cardiologist George Beller, husband of late Democratic state senator Emily Couric, and law professor Jonathan Cannon, part of President Barack Obama’s transition team. Run the same search for Hurt? Zero dollars. (The same search returns no results for independent candidate Jeffrey Clark.)
- OpenSecrets.org, which provided data for the Times, lists Perriello as the top recipient of funds from the environmental industry, with a total of $56,492. The same site lists Hurt as third among recipients of funds from the tobacco industry, behind Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner and Michigan Republican candidate Dave Camp, with $30,750.
- The site also offers sector totals for combined contributions from political action committees and individuals. The greatest sector contribution for each candidate was the "ideological/single issue" sector ($461,020 for Perriello, $128,125 for Hurt). However, Hurt shows zero dollars in the "labor" sector, compared to Perriello’s $198,000, and more than $17,000 to Perriello’s $72,000-plus in "communications/electronics." Hurt, meanwhile, received more than $52,000 in "agribusiness" to Perriello’s $12,000, and $48,500 to Perriello’s $8,550 in "construction."
