Chinese Communist Party-Linked Exec Donated $50K to Democrat’s Gubernatorial Campaign 

News broke Wednesday that a U.S.-based executive at a luxury electric carmaker gave tens of thousands of dollars to the campaign of Democrat Virginia gubernatorial candidate and former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger. While that wouldn’t normally make news, the executive has been listed as a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Alana Goodman of The Washington Free Beacon first reported that Pin Ni, the president of Wanxiang America, donated $50,000 over two contributions to the Spanberger campaign. The donations occurred in April and May, according to campaign finance disclosures.

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Wanxiang America is the U.S. arm of Chinese automotive company Wanxiang Group, where Ni sits on the board of directors, according to the Free Beacon and Fox News. Wanxiang America owns the U.S.-based luxury electric vehicle manufacturer KARMA Automotive.

Election law prohibits campaign contributions from foreign nationals, and the Communist Party-run Chinese government generally does not allow party members dual U.S.-China citizenship.

The Free Beacon reports that parent company Wanxiang Group’s 2025 annual report says that Ni has been recognized as an “Outstanding Communist Party Member of the Group” 15 times, according to the company’s website.

Last year, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin struck down the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act that mandated that Virginia transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050. The law would have ultimately mandated the use of electric vehicles over gasoline-powered ones. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, Spanberger’s Republican opponent for governor, supported the law’s repeal.

Spanberger needs to address this, but without any debates scheduled, Earle-Sears may not get an opportunity to ask her directly about it, so it’s up to the Virginia press corps.

Before this story broke, The Daily Signal spoke with Republican Party of Virginia Chair and state Sen. Mark Peake about President Donald Trump’s recent statements endorsing Earle-Sears and Spanberger’s unwillingness to debate her.

After seeing the Chinese donor story, he told us: “It doesn’t surprise me that Chinese Communists want Spanberger to win. I am sure they have reviewed her voting record in Congress and prefer her to a true, conservative patriot like Winsome Sears.”

Listen to the interview: