Home There goes Bell’s big cash-on-hand advantage
Local, Region

There goes Bell’s big cash-on-hand advantage

Chris Graham

Bad news for Erik Curren, right? That he had only $3,500 in campaign cash on hand in his 20th House District race when you looked at his report on the Virginia Public Access Project website, and his Republican opponent, Dickie Bell, who had only been in the race for a month as of the end of the reporting period, had $12,290 on hand.

We’ll look past, for the moment, the fact that 60 percent of Bell’s campaign receipts came from the current 20th District incumbent, Chris Saxman, who surprised us all in July when he dropped out of the race. Because what interests me when I leave vpap.org and peruse Bell’s report on the State Board of Elections website is the listing under Schedule F, Debts Remaining Unpaid.

The line item there for Bell comes to more than $8,600 all told, all but $718 of it to The Printing Press in Harrisonburg, which is owned by Rockingham County GOP chair Mike Meredith.

Kinda puts that cash-on-hand figure in perspective, doesn’t it?

Considering the unpaid campaign debts, Bell actually had in the area of $3,600 cash at the end of the July 1-Aug. 31 reporting period.

So there goes Bell’s big cash-on-hand advantage.

 

– Story by Chris Graham

 




Featured Video

 

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected]. Support AFP by signing up for our newsletter and/or powering our work with a one-time or monthly contribution.

Latest News

uva football jahmal edrine
Football, Go 'Hoos

UVA Football: What the now-dismissed Jahmal Edrine case did to the 2026 season

uva football jahmal edrine
Football, Go 'Hoos

Rape, abduction charges against former UVA Football player Jahmal Edrine dismissed

The rape and abduction charges against former UVA Football player Jahmal Edrine have been dismissed, less than a month before Edrine was set to go before an Albemarle County jury for a scheduled four-day trial.

louise lucas abigail spanberger
Politics, Virginia

Spanberger on Louise Lucas indictment: ‘Presumed innocent until proven guilty’

Gov. Abigail Spanberger is taking the closest thing to the high road that she can take with respect to the news that her political nemesis, Louise Lucas, has been charged in a multi-count racketeering indictment by the Trump DOJ.

healthcare
Football, Go 'Hoos

UVA Football: Update on the injury list, with notes on key guys who are ‘out,’ ‘doubtful’

ty jerome uva basketball
Basketball, Go 'Hoos

UVA Basketball: Ty Jerome goes 45-7-6 for Memphis in season-opening win

northern virginia
Virginia

Virginia State Police trying to track down family of deceased Colorado man

richmond map
Virginia

Richmond man arrested in connection with Sept. 25 fatal hit-and-run