Millions of dollars are donated to Virginia elected officials every year, including from Dominion Energy. But those elected officials say donations aren’t influencing their view of the merger deal between Dominion and Florida’s NextEra.
“If you can’t take their money, eat their food and tell them no, then you need to go home,” said Virginia’s Speaker of the House Don Scott when asked if the nearly $4 million in donations he’s taken from Dominion Energy would influence his work when it comes to the $67 billion dollar merger currently before the State Corporation Commission. So why take the money?
“The contributions they make go beyond just their policy, their issues," Scott told Radio IQ. "They help Democrats get elected up and down the ballot across the Commonwealth of Virginia, we’re going to hold them accountable just like everybody else.”
Senate President Louise Lucas and Senator Mamie Locke have collected more than $3 million combined from Dominion over their decades in office. Both also dismissed the idea of influence.
“I don’t ever take money from anybody where I can’t go against them or support what they do,” Locke said.
So, what about those elected officials who already oppose the deal?
“It’s the folks I expected, it’s the Clean Virginia people so what do you expect,” Locke said.
Governor Abigail Spanberger took $1.2 million from Clean Virginia, a competitor to Dominion whose mission is “fighting utility monopoly corruption in Virginia politics.” Spanberger also took money from Dominion and NextEra through her inaugural committee.
But the governor said money wasn’t the reason for her skepticism of the deal.
“There’s a lot at stake, at play and in conversations I’ve had with legislators about this merger, there’s highly technical questions and then there’s the emotional worry about what happens if an out-of-state company buys Virginia’s largest regulated utility,” Spanberger said.
University of Mary Washington political science professor emeritus Stephen Farnsworth said political donations wouldn’t be given if they didn’t have some kind of return, but officials can avoid accusations of bias, at least in this case, by passing the buck to regulators.
“Take money as people are willing to give it to you and leave the decision in the hands of the State Corporation Commission,” Farnsworth said.
In a statement, Dominion Energy spokesperson Jeremy Slayton said their participation in the political process is for the sake of their customers and employees.
“Our contributions are bipartisan and transparent, and we don't ask the recipients of our campaign contributions for favors,” Slayton told Radio IQ.
Clean Virginia head Brennan Gilmore also said their donations didn’t come with expectations.
“Clean Virginia has provided electoral funding so that candidates have the resources to run competitive campaigns without relying on the monopoly utilities lawmakers are responsible for regulating,” Gilmore said.
