In theory, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold President Barack Obama's health care law would appear to be a clear win for the president's re-election chances in Virginia and for Democrats in general.

But turning a legal victory into political capital in the commonwealth is not a guarantee.

Working off vehement disapproval of the law among the GOP's more conservative wing, Republicans are cashing in on the high court's ruling and attempting to build momentum in Virginia's key races.

Democrats, meanwhile, are rallying around the court victory, claiming the decisive vote from conservative Chief Justice John Roberts gives the law new credibility in the eyes of independents and moderates.

And the decision has been a fundraising boon for both parties.

In the 24 hours after the decision broke, Romney's campaign raised $4.6 million from more than 47,000 donors nationwide, according to campaign officials. In Virginia, nearly 2,000 donors more than 60 percent of whom had never donated to the Romney campaign before contributed close to $200,000.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, meanwhile, says it raised more than $2.3 million since the ruling, with Saturday being the biggest grass-roots fundraising day in its history. The amount raised in Virginia since the ruling was not available.

Two days after the June 28 ruling, the coordinated Victory 2012 effort between the Romney camp and the Republican Party of Virginia opened several offices across the state and also gained 1,500 new volunteers.

"I've been around politics and campaigns for 20 years, and I've never seen an uptick or surge like we've experienced since the decision," said Pete Snyder, chairman of the Victory 2012 effort.

"If our troops were at an eight or a nine on an intensity scale, they're at a 15 now," Snyder added, saying that while he was disappointed in the ruling, it was "liquid gold for the campaign."

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Democrats, Republicans using health care ruling to raise funds