1. legislative aides in Virginia
2. campaign staff duties in Virginia.
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In Congress, elected representatives are expected to maintain a clear separation between their taxpayer-funded offices and their political campaigns. However, the rules governing this separation are less defined in the part-time Virginia General Assembly.
The purpose of the rule in Congress is to prevent incumbents from using government resources, including staff time, to aid in their reelection or pursuit of higher office. Congressional staffers are allowed to engage in political activities, but only on their own time and without pressure from their superiors. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics provides guidance on this matter.
In a recent Virginia congressional primary race, Senator Suhas Subramanyam, representing Loudoun, came under scrutiny for the overlap between his legislative and campaign staff. The campaign website listed five individuals as campaign staff, four of whom were also identified as publicly funded legislative staffers for Subramanyam. Despite this overlap, no campaign-side payment for these Senate staffers was disclosed in Subramanyam’s federal campaign finance reports.
Subramanyam’s campaign clarified that two of the Senate staffers were indeed being paid for their campaign work through the consulting firm of Subramanyam’s campaign manager, Ajay Mohan. This arrangement raised questions about the handling of compensation for staffers juggling dual roles.
According to federal records, Subramanyam’s campaign paid Mohan’s company, Rocket Science Strategies LLC, $7,200, out of which the campaign pay for the Senate staffers was allocated. The campaign insisted that all laws and regulations were followed and that no state resources were utilised for the campaign’s benefit.
Subramanyam’s campaign defended the dual roles of the four staffers, stating that the titles were given to both volunteers and staff to support their career development.
Senator Subramanyam is vying for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 10th District, where incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton is not seeking reelection due to health issues. Wexton has endorsed Subramanyam, boosting his prospects in the 12-person Democratic primary.
Other General Assembly members running for Congress have also had legislative staffers involved in their campaigns. While it is common for legislative staffers to assist their bosses during election years, the paperwork for other candidates typically reflects campaign payments to such staffers.
Del. Dan Helmer, who is competing with Subramanyam in the 10th District Democratic primary, has had two legislative staffers transition to his political team. One former staffer left the legislative role to join Helmer’s campaign team, while the legislative chief of staff is aiding the campaign and being paid from the campaign account.
Virginia lacks detailed laws or guidelines on how legislators should manage employees engaged in both official and campaign activities. The National Conference of State Legislatures’ summary of state laws on political activity by legislative employees notes Virginia as having “no relevant statutes found” on the subject.
While many states have regulations prohibiting legislative employees from engaging in political activities during official work hours or in government buildings, Virginia does not have such provisions.
U.S. House rules prohibit members from filming political ads in government offices, as these spaces are considered official resources that cannot be used for campaign purposes. However, this issue arose in Virginia lawmakers’ campaigns this year when Senator Jennifer Boysko featured shots of herself in the General Assembly Building in a political ad.
Despite the lack of specific guidelines in Virginia, lawmakers must carefully navigate the line between their official duties and campaign activities to ensure compliance with ethical standards and legal requirements.
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1. Legislative aides in Virginia
2. Campaign staff in Virginia.
