08/05/2026
With mid-term elections approaching, Dr. Karen Hult, professor of political science, was recently interviewed in the Roanoke Times about the upcoming primary elections for several U.S. House of Representatives seats. In this interview, Hult discusses the discrepancy in financial contributions and spending, specifically in Virginia’s 9th Congressional District. 🗳️
Incumbent Morgan Griffith, R- Salem, has received six times more campaign contributions in 2026 ($634,000) than the three democratic primary challengers combined. Due to this stark fundraising difference, Hult notes that the perception among donors is this district is "uncompetitive.” “The funding disparity in the 9th district likely reflects the advantages of incumbent candidates and/or the clear partisan makeup of the district,” she said.
Primary elections are held across Virginia on August 4th. Hult believes that campaign spending will increase after primaries, but Democratic donors will likely prioritize more competitive races in Virginia. These races include the 5th and 6th Congressional Districts; the latter includes Democrat Beth Macy of Roanoke challenging Republican incumbent Ben Cline of Botetourt County.
She clarifies that current research suggests having more money does not always win elections. More important, she says, “challengers reach a threshold of having sufficient funds to run good campaigns; such so-called "quality candidates" have better chances of being competitive.” In fact, spending more money can sometimes be unrelated or negatively related to the outcome of an election. You can read the full story in the July 26th, 2026, edition of The Roanoke Times.
