RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The battle for control of Virginia’s legislature is leading to record-breaking political fundraising as special interest groups spend big in the final weeks of the contest.

Virginia is the only state where Democrats have a chance to flip control of the state legislature this year and newly filed campaign finance reports reflect national groups’ intense interest in the race. General Assembly candidates have raised about $53 million so far, up about 67% from the last time all 140 seats were up for grabs in 2015, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project. Democrats have more than doubled their haul from four years ago, accounting for most of the increase, VPAP reports.

“Winter is coming for Virginia Republicans. Absolute domination across the board,” said Jake Rubenstein, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia.

Republicans have a slim majority in both the state House and the state Senate.

Democrats are hoping to continue their recent success in suburban districts, where voter antipathy toward President Donald Trump helped power a blue wave election in 2017. Helping Democrats in key suburban races are national groups like Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control group backed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Emily’s List, an organization dedicated to electing women who support abortion rights.

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