FIRST OPEN SENATE SEAT SINCE 1988

THANK YOU FOR YOUR 30 YEARS OF SERVICE SENATOR WARNER!

Comments

[Dannyboy]

God Bless, Senator Warner! Enjoy your retirement, it is well deserved!

[phriendlyjaime]

Thanks for your fine service, Senator Warner. You are a class act, and I hope you enjoy your well deserved retirement and have some fun IRL for a while.

[Doug]

As we witness the sunset of a once proud and honorable party. Don't jump on me, I'm not sure the Democrats are far behind...

Sigh, a class act, even if I disagreed with him on issues.

[Sean]

Just out of curiosity, who makes the race for Dems if Warner doesn't (not like he hasn't surprised people before)? And who are the frontrunners for Davis's house seat?

[Not J. Marshall Coleman]

His finest hour was standing up to Herr Oberst Oliver North.

[fannyboy]

DRAFT HARRIS MILLER

[fannyboy]

John Warner for Weenie of the Week!

fannyboy for Warner of the Week!

dannyboy for fannyboy of the Week!

[brimur]

Yep, the Senate will be less without him. What a total class act.

As to the electoral repercussions, we are about to embark on the craziest couple years in political memory. Especially here in Fairfax. A Senate nomination battle at least on the Republican side and depending on Mark Warner's decision possibly a battle on the Democratic side. The 11th District with possible fights all around. And then the most wide open statewide elections in memory in 2009 assuming Mark Warner is not the gubernatorial candidate for the Democrats.

My picks:
1. Mark Warner for Senate
2. Leslie Byrne for Congress
3. Brian Moran for Governor
4. Creigh Deeds for Attorney General
5. Chap Petersen for Lt. Governor

[Doug]

fannyboy for Dennis Miller of the year!

So seemingly witty, so seldom actually funny.

[Daniel]

This also means that Davis's house seat will open. Which will also be pretty competitive!!
www.CampaignDiaries.com

I doubt it will be that competitive, Daniel. The Republican with the best fundraising potential and best federal political connections who lives in Davis' district also lives in Davis' household. We need Chap Petersen to beat JMDD this November because I promise you that family has aims on being the first husband and wife duo in the United States Congress.

On the flip side, if Chap doesn't beat her this year, he'll probably pick up the seat in a special election in 2009.

edit: the primary for the republican nominee won't be competitive, is what I meant.

[the poster formerly known as 147.]

Brimur,
I think you're right across the board but I just don't see Chap running statewide again in 09. But maybe you know something I don't.

I think the LG candidate could be someone outside the GA; maybe Paul Fraim, or Viola? Maybe Kellam gives it a shot?

And if Warner doesn't run for Senate, who knows. Maybe Beyer?

First, thank you Senator Warner for 29 years of tremendous service. I did not always agree with him, but I always respected him. They do not make them like Warner anymore. He is old school in a very good way.

I think the GOP field for the nomination will be hazy through 11/6. If Devolites Davis does not win re-election, I think it is tough for Tom Davis to make a go of it. His biggest rationale for getting the nomination is that he has an organization in NoVA that can win up there for a Republican. If he cannot pull his wife through, that undercuts his image of being strong there. And while I understand that she is not he, the perception is going to be hard to fight.

Gilmore likely goes, but he is far from unbeatable. Since winning in 1997, he has gotten progressively odder. The fights with fellow Republicans, the short-lived tenure at the RNC, the weird presidential bid. It all adds up to a strange guy who thinks he has a lot more support within the party ranks than he probably does.

With Republicans in Congress in the minority and the environment not looking especially strong for '08, another Congressman could be a player. Goodlatte, for one, would be an interesting foil to Gilmore. Forbes may have some interest. Cantor would be interesting, but he would have to give up a post in leadership and given that he comes from the Gilmore faction in the party, I doubt he makes the challenge.

McDonnell could be a factor. After all, it seems likely that Allen runs for Governor in '09 meaning Bolling and McDonnell are frozen in place. Bolling does not take on Gilmore for the same reason as Cantor. McDonnell, on the other hand, would get a "free" shot since he would not have to give up the AG slot to run in an '08 election, and I am not sure the AG retirement tradition that Virginia weirdly follows for Governor candidates would apply to this.

After that, you get the rich business types who may want to try and be the Mark Warners of the GOP. Always an X factor.

[phriendlyjaime]

HAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, Cantor??? Nice try.

[Doug in Mount Vernon]

Indeed, a Republican who even Democrats can respect and admire. What would seal his legacy is using his last year in the Senate to restore Republican moral dignity and compass, and lead the effort to bring sensible Republicans into the fold against the Iraq War, and bringing it to as rapid and responsible an end as possible.

Thank you, Senator Warner. I may not have always supported you, but I've absolutely always respected you.

[Clean it up in '07]

3:12 -- I think the GOP may pluck a candidate for the 11th out of PWC. Sean Connaughton comes to mind.

[Dannyboy]

fanny:
I will take that "fannyboy of the week" nomination as a compliment. :)

[Bwana]

Connaughton? Has he moved from the Va-1 portion of PWC into the Va-11 yet?

[NoVA Scout]

Bwana: it doesn't really matter except for cosmetics. There's no requirement that a Congressman live in his district. If Republicans want to contest this seat, Connaughton can either move 1000 yards into the district or not. But he's doing other things now and has plenty of time.

[Matthew]

"McDonnell could be a factor." - Please remember this quote above from 3:41 PM (a fricking anonymouse comment)... Virginians will remember that Bob McDonnell is an extreme right-wing "attorney" (quotes mine) who went to law school at Pat Robertson's Regent University... please see Bill Maher's recent blog entry on this "elite" institution at http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/04/13/pat_robertson/. All people need to know about McDonnell is that he went to a fourth tier law school and he hires real laywers to do the work in Richmond. I hope he runs because Brian Moran or most of the Democrats in Northern Virginia would beat McDonnell big time... all the Democrat has to do is mention McDonnell's law school and the election is over... Northern Virginia goes 70 - 30 for the Democrats.

[Rtwng Extrmst]

"Indeed, a Republican who even Democrats can respect and admire..."

Indeed, that's the problem. In a nutshell, god riddance!

[Rtwng Extrmst]

Excuse please, that should have been "good" riddance.