Clean Virginia, a nonprofit that advocates for clean government and clean energy, is launching a six-figure ad campaign targeting Shannon Taylor, a Democratic candidate for attorney general, because she has accepted $375,000 from Dominion Energy, Virginia’s largest public utility.
The 30-second ad will air in the expensive Washington, D.C., media market, aimed at reaching Northern Virginia voters ahead of the June 17 primary.
“Our power company was caught overcharging Virginians with some of the highest electric bills in the country, and now they’re Shannon Taylor’s largest donor,” the ad says. “They pollute our air and water, hurting our health and climate while Shannon Taylor cashes their checks.”
Taylor, the Henrico County commonwealth’s attorney, faces former Delegate Jay Jones, D-Norfolk, in the Democratic primary. Clean Virginia has endorsed Jones, who has signed a pledge rejecting campaign contributions from Dominion.
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The ad is paid for by Clean Virginia and authorized by Jones.
The Democratic nominee will face Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is seeking reelection, in the November general election.
Dominion donated $300,000 to Taylor’s campaign over a six-week span in April and May, according to campaign finance reports published Monday. The company also contributed $300,000 to Miyares during the same period.
In a statement, Taylor’s campaign manager Emma Gore said: “These desperate, absurd attacks from Jay Jones are just trying to hide the fact that he spent less than a year in the D.C. AG’s office, he has never prosecuted a criminal case, and has never flipped a Republican seat. Shannon Taylor is the only Democrat who can be trusted to defeat Jason Miyares and fight back against Donald Trump this November.”
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The campaign also provided statements from former Democratic attorneys general Mark Herring and Mary Sue Terry, both of whom endorsed Taylor. Herring beat Jones in the 2021 Democratic primary for attorney general and then lost his reelection bid for a third term. Terry was the first woman to be elected to a statewide office in Virginia.
Herring said: “These absurd, unfounded attacks are just an attempt to distract voters from the fact that Shannon is the only candidate who has the experience and proven track record needed for this office. Shannon has spent her career protecting Virginians and standing up for families, and as the Commonwealth’s most recent Democratic attorney general, I know she is ready to meet this moment of uncertainty in our country.”
Dominion Energy is seeking rate hikes that would raise a typical monthly bill by 13.9% next year. The State Corporation Commission must approve any increase.
“The Attorney General’s job is to ensure utility companies aren’t ripping off their captive customers,” said Clean Virginia Executive Director Brennan Gilmore. “This ad will inform voters whose side Shannon Taylor is on. The best choice in this election is Jay Jones, who has a career of standing up to Dominion and is refusing their contributions in this race.”
As a delegate in Virginia’s General Assembly, Jones introduced legislation to return money to Virginians that Dominion overcharged them for on energy bills.
“If Dominion wants to hedge their bets and get an Attorney General beholden to them regardless of party, we are going to hold them accountable,” Gilmore added.
Taylor’s campaign noted that Jones received $1,500 from Dominion across 2017-2018. Jones first received Clean Virginia’s backing in 2019.