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For the reporting period, Salim’s campaign received $31,094 in cash contributions of more than $100, $2,777 in cash contributions of less than $100 and $15,042 in in-kind contributions of more than $100.

The following are Salim’s top five donations for October, including the occupations the donors reported to the board of elections:

Salim’s campaign started with a balance of $53,743 on Oct. 1 and spent $54,571 for the reporting period. After adding the new contributions and subtracting the expenses, the Democratic candidate had $48,085 in cash on hand on Oct. 26.

Related: Democratic Primary: Losers Outspent Winners In Fairfax VA Senate Races

Salim, unlike Reid, had to defeat incumbent Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) in the June 20 Democratic Party Primary to become his party’s representative on the Nov. 7 ballot. This gave him a head start on fundraising.

Even though Salim spent considerably less ($151,899) on his campaign than Petersen ($856,092), he still won the primary. Between Jan. 12 and Oct. 30, Salim raised a total of $366,765 and spent $264,108 running in both races.

Related: Democrat Salim Out-Raises GOP Opponent Reid In Latest Campaign Filing

The following are Salim’s top five donations for all of 2023:

The following are Reid’s top five donations for all of 2023:

On Oct. 17, Reid and Salim took part in a candidate’s forum at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus.

During an interview before the event, Reid told Patch in he entered the race for one reason.

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Related: Ken Reid Running For Virginia Senate In New 37th District: Profile

“The main thing was to give Republicans a choice,” he said. “I can tell you right now, if Chap Petersen had won the primary, I don’t think I would stand a chance. He’s done 25 years of service to the community.”

The reason Reid thought he had a chance to win the Nov. 7 election was that his opponent wasn’t very experienced and hadn’t stated a position on many of the issues about which his potential constituents are concerned.

“He has said nothing about roads. He has said nothing about schools and the failing test scores,” Reid told Patch. “He’s said nothing about crime, except to continue decriminalization. He’s endorsed by a bunch of unions and some business people have given him money. He has not done anything for the community. He’s been a Democratic Party activist.”

Admitting that there was nothing wrong with being a party activist, Reid pointed to his own position as a member of Fairfax County’s Tenant Landlord Commission as an example of real experience.

“I spend my time working on those issues,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about affordable housing, so I have a lot to offer. But the problem is, I have an ‘R ‘next to my name and there are a lot of people in the county who are looking at the situation with the national Republicans, and they’re being deluged with ads about abortion and Trump and voting rights and it’s a deflection. It’s deflecting from the people and the issues that we have to address here.”

In response to Reid’s comments, Salim told Patch that he’s spoken often about the issues that were important to him.

Related: Saddam Salim Running For Virginia Senate In New 37th District: Profile

“I continue to be focused on the same issues I ran on in the primary: passing strong gun violence prevention laws, protecting reproductive rights for all, fully funding our public schools, doing more to create affordable housing, protecting the environment and ensuring a fair economy for all Virginians,” he said.

Salim called Reid’s comments just a “cynical ploy to manipulate voters” during the last two weeks of the campaign.

“Republicans continue to attack and provoke fear, but they don’t offer real solutions that address the problems people care about right now,” he said. “They are more focused on taking away reproductive rights, putting guns ahead of people’s lives, banning books and making promises they can’t keep to get rid of tolls or the car tax. They know they can’t do any of those things.”

Describing his opponent as the first Republican in Virginia to openly embrace former President Donald Trump, Salim disagreed with Reid’s assessment of his experience.

“I have personally experienced the effects of climate change when my family had to come to this country because of drought and flood in my home country,” said Saddam, whose family emigrated from Bangladesh to the U.S. in 2000.

“I know how much public schools matter because that’s where I learned English like so many other students do in our schools, that’s where I thrived as both a high school student and a recipient of both a bachelor’s and graduate degree from a public university,” he said. “I know the significance of reproductive rights because it has affected members of my family and I have fought to get my own mother the healthcare she needed to save her life.”

His personal experiences helped him to understand the importance of the policies that Democrats fight for, such as protecting access to affordable housing and healthcare.

“My life experiences have brought me to a place where I understand the impact that policies that Democrats fight for can have on people’s lives, so I am passionate about protecting those policies and fighting for my constituents,” he said. “My work as a financial professional has brought experiences handling multi-million dollar federal budget appropriations and I will bring that skill set to the Senate.”

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