Florida takeover of Dominion would cut off Richmond Democrats' biggest corporate ATM

RICHMOND, Va. - For years, Virginia's most powerful Democrats have relied on one corporate donor more than any other: Dominion Energy. Now a proposed merger would put Dominion under a parent company headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., and nobody in the case has said what happens to the money.

The numbers

Virginia places no limit on corporate political contributions, and Dominion has made the most of it. According to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), Dominion's 20 largest Democratic recipients took at least $8.42 million in the 2025-26 cycle. The list reads like a leadership roster:

• Shannon Taylor's attorney general campaign: $775,000
• Underground to Uplift PAC: $755,408
• Del. Charniele Herring: $625,000
• Leaders for an Equitable Tomorrow PAC: $601,612
• House Speaker Don Scott: $600,409
• Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell: $600,000
• Sen. Mamie Locke: $600,000
• Virginia Future Generations PAC: $600,000
• Former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney: $427,604

In 2023-24, the top 20 Democratic recipients took at least $7.15 million, led by Scott at $1.12 million and Locke at $750,000, VPAP data shows. Virginia Scope, using VPAP records, reports Dominion has given nearly $18 million to Democrats and more than $15 million to Republicans since 2018.

Republicans have taken Dominion money too, and that belongs in the story. VPAP shows the company's top 20 GOP recipients took about $5.58 million in 2025-26 and $5.06 million in 2023-24, led by Attorney General Jason Miyares at $1.42 million. But the Democratic side of the ledger is consistently larger, and it is concentrated in the leaders who control what reaches the House and Senate floors.

The federal picture is smaller but follows the same lines. OpenSecrets data shows Dominion Energy PAC gave $117,800 to Democratic candidates in 2023-24, plus $162,500 to Democratic PACs and party committees.

What Democrats stand to lose

Here is the hypothetical. If the merged company, run from Florida, decides Virginia legislators are no longer worth the investment, Democrats lose at least $7 million to $8.5 million every two-year cycle from Dominion's top-20 recipients alone. Add about $280,000 a cycle in federal PAC money. Using the long-run average since 2018, the figure is closer to $4.5 million per cycle.

To be clear, the merger filings make no commitment either way on political giving. The 201-page staff testimony filed Monday in Case PUR-2026-00112 does not mention campaign contributions. The companies did commit to keep charitable giving at historic levels for five years after closing (staff testimony, p. 157), but that covers charity, not campaigns. NextEra also has its own PAC, so the money could keep flowing under a new name.

The deal regulators are weighing

State Corporation Commission staff concluded Monday that the companies have not shown the merger would protect Virginia customers, because it "would expose DEV to the additional financial and business risks of NextEra's unregulated, competitive businesses" (p. 6). Staff recommended approval only with tougher conditions, including an independent Dominion Energy Virginia board, a 10-year jobs floor and dividend limits (p. 7).

The question for Democratic leaders

The merger is decided by the SCC, whose judges are elected by the General Assembly. The legislature also writes the utility laws the commission enforces. That makes it fair to ask whether Democratic leaders' positions on this deal track their donations. So far, the leaders on the list above have not taken clear public positions that RVN could find.

Speaker Scott, Majority Leader Surovell, Sen. Locke, Del. Herring and Attorney General Miyares have not stated public positions on the merger, or whether Dominion's contributions will factor into their view. Records of Dominion's giving are available through VPAP and in Dominion PAC reports filed with the Virginia Department of Elections.

Page numbers refer to the 201-page public version of SCC Staff's prefiled testimony, Volume I of VII, in Case PUR-2026-00112 (SCC document 261030140), filed Oct. 19, 2026.

Richmond is an independent city in the Richmond region.