Lynchburg City council candidates double campaigning costs compared to 2018

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Lynchburg City Council candidates are doing whatever it takes to get your vote, including racking up quite the campaign bill.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, the seven candidates running for city council have spent $137,841.

That is nearly double the $65,831 spent in 2018.

With midterm elections right around the corner, candidates are headed toward the finish line of their campaigns.

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Signs are lining the streets, flyers are in the mail, and the billboards are up, all in an effort to get your vote for the city council.

However, all of that also costs a pretty penny. Stephanie Reed is at the top of the list, spending $46,653.

The next candidate, Martin Misjuns, has spent only half of that amount: $22,950.

The other candidates are as follows:

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Treney Tweedy: $19,282

Larry Taylor: $17,479

Beau Wright: $14,848

Walter Virgil: $8,908

Patrick Earl: $7,721

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Dr. David Richards, chair of the political science department at the University of Lynchburg, said it's important for some of the candidates to spend more money to get their names out.

"The money is going to be important for people like Reed and Taylor; for them to reach those people who don't know who they are. Tweedy and Wright, on the other hand, people know them or at least have heard of them, so they have that advantage going in," said Dr. Richards.

Richards believes this is going to be a competitive race, which also plays into the increased spending.