Is Senator Mark Warner Pledging to Refuse Out of State Donations?

Saturday night, former Virginia governor and current U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, was at a fundraiser in Abingdon, Virginia with Congressman Rick “Cap & Trade” Boucher when he made a stunning remark. He was complaining about money from outside of southwest Virginia influencing the race in the 9th District.  Warner said, “We need to send a message to outside money, that we don’t even know where it came from, that that’s not the type of politics we play in Southwest Virginia.”

This from a sitting Senator who has benefitted from over a million dollars from a PAC called ActBlue, which solicits money from all across the nation that we don’t even know where it came from. He has also accepted contributions from other donors outside of Virginia. According to Open Secrets;

Contributions by Geography

Senator Mark Warner

Top Metro Areas

WASHINGTON, DC-MD-VA-WV	$4,718,940
NORFOLK-VIRGINIA BEACH-NEWPORT NEWS, VA-NC	$907,621
NEW YORK	$884,885
RICHMOND-PETERSBURG	$850,167
Boston, MA-NH	$353,627
CHARLOTTESVILLE	$293,577
SAN FRANCISCO	$177,700
LOS ANGELES-LONG BEACH	$176,901
BRIDGEPORT	$168,525
CHICAGO	$159,799

 

I am not sure, but it sounds to me like Senator Mark Warner is pledging to no longer accept any contributions from outside of Virginia and to decline to have any outside groups do any advertising which may benefit his campaign, after all that’s not the type of politics we play in Virginia.