Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia has appointed hundreds of donors to his political action committees to state board positions during his tenure in Richmond, according to an analysis by a Democratic super PAC.
The 14-page report, shared exclusively with NOTUS by American Bridge 21st Century, found that Youngkin appointed donors to over 400 board seats and state positions. Those donors in total gave more than $6.5 million to Youngkin-aligned PACs.
When including donations from those donors’ families, businesses and business associates, that number rises to $10 million.
It is the first such report on Youngkin’s board appointments since he took office in 2022, and shows what American Bridge calls “unprecedented levels of pay-to-play within the Youngkin administration.” Past Virginia governors have faced similar allegations, though the total money Youngkin reportedly accepted from appointees and the number of donors he appointed dwarf those figures.
“Some of Youngkin’s top donors that he rewarded with board seats were also state contractors that saw their state contract totals balloon once Youngkin entered office,” the report reads. “In many other cases, Youngkin appointed his own donors to boards that were directly involved in regulating or dispersing funds throughout the donor’s industry.”
Among the largest donors to Youngkin’s PACs is Hobbs & Associates, now known as Air Control Concepts, whose CEO, Brad Hobbs, was appointed to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors in September 2022. That appointment came after Youngkin’s political PAC accepted $655,125 from Hobbs.
The HVAC industry company obtained over $7.5 million in state contracts during Youngkin’s first year in office, nearly double the previous four years combined, the report found.
In a similar case, Youngkin’s political PACs continued to accept donations totaling $140,125 from MEB General Contractors and its owner, George Clarke, even after appointing Clarke to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission. The report found that the contracting company also received a $12-million contract in 2024, after it and Clark had donated more than $100,000.
None of the appointees mentioned in this report responded to a request for comment from NOTUS.
While American Bridge’s analysis is the first reported instance of Youngkin appointing major donors to key state roles, it isn’t the first time Youngkin has been criticized for his appointments. In 2023, three out of four of Youngkin’s picks to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors were identified as donors.
Over the past year, state-level Senate Democrats have rejected 30 of Youngkin’s appointments, three times as many appointees as the Legislature blocked during his predecessor’s administration. These appointees were primarily to the Board of Education and governing boards at Virginia’s public higher education institutions, according to the Virginia Mercury.
American Bridge, the Democratic opposition research giant that authored the analysis, is one of the largest outside organizations affiliated with the Democratic Party. Founded by David Brock more than a decade ago, the group originally focused on Senate and gubernatorial races before expanding to House campaigns in 2024. The group’s super PAC arm is one of the most prolific outside spenders on either side of the aisle, according to Politico.
In its report, the group shared dozens of examples of Youngkin appointing donors to his political PACs to state positions.
At the Virginia Housing Development Authority, American Bridge found that Youngkin appointed mortgage lender CEO Roger Jones after he had donated $350,000 to Youngkin PACs. Another of HDA’s appointees included real estate development executive Dare Ruffin, whom Youngkin appointed after she, and her company’s owner, gave nearly $220,000.
Youngkin in 2022 also appointed Louie F. Berbert, then the vice president of field operations for real estate firm The Dragas Companies, to a different state housing board after accepting $136,421.86 from his boss, developer Helen Dragas, and four of her businesses.
American Bridge’s analysis also found that Youngkin appointed Michael Stoltzfus, the president and CEO of an aerospace company, to the state’s Aerospace Advisory Council after Youngkin-aligned PACs accepted over $30,000 from Stoltzfus and his company. After his appointment, Stoltzfus gave another $60,000.
His wife was then appointed to the Citizens’ Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion, and Stoltzfus’ aviation group was later awarded a $250,000 contract in 2024.
At the Motor Vehicle Dealers Board, responsible for licensing and regulation, Youngkin appointed car dealership executives after accepting almost $481,000 from them and their dealerships. Additionally, 12 of the 20 current members on the state Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates gave a total of more than $785,000 to Youngkin-aligned PACs.
Neither Youngkin’s PAC, Spirit of Virginia, nor the governor’s office responded to a detailed list of questions about Youngkin’s appointments.
Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, during his tenure was accused of similar behavior for appointing former officials to boards overseeing state colleges and universities.
In 2015, McAuliffe made headlines for nominating New York philanthropist Jeffrey C. Walker to the Board of Visitors at the University of Virginia after he donated $50,000 to the then-governor’s 2013 campaign. He also came under fire in 2017 for giving seven officials from his former administration and two of their wives roles on the Board of Visitors.
At the time, McAuliffe spokesperson Brian Coy told The Washington Post that Republican objections to the appointments amounted to “shrill partisan attacks” that ”do not change the fact that these individuals are qualified to contribute to these universities and the best system of higher education in the nation.”
McAuliffe told NOTUS on Tuesday that the appointees were “recommended through the Virginia Commission on Higher Education Board Appointments, the body established in law to ensure thoughtful and qualified selections.”
“These processes and these board members made our higher education system the best in the nation and made the Virginians these institutions served that much more prepared to compete and lead in the 21st-century economy,” he added.