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Retiring GOP Senator Not Endorsing GOP Nominee For Seat
In yet another sign that the Republicans will almost certainly lose their open Senate seat in Virginia, retiring GOP Sen. John Warner doesn't appear to be willing to endorse former Gov. Jim Gilmore, who only narrowly won the nomination at this past weekend's state party convention.
"I'm not going to keep answering this question about Gilmore," Warner told The Hill. "I'll get my press office to send you a statement."
Gilmore trails his Democratic opponent, former Gov. Mark Warner -- no relation to John -- by a wide margin in all the polls.
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Republicans eating their own... I'm loving it!
June 5, 2008 9:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Warner was always a class act. I might disagree with some of his positions, but he definitely was a class act. Gilmore's a joke. I bet Warner doesn't endorse in the end. He has to much class.
June 5, 2008 9:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Who besides me gets the feeling that the Republicans all hate each other?
LOL!!!
June 5, 2008 9:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Warner doesn't want his last public act to be the endorsement of a loser. Makes a lot of sense to me.
June 5, 2008 9:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is what they've been accusing us Dems of doing for decades.
It is SO sweet to see the other side eating their own!
June 5, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
I was with Mark Warner last week- he and John became close friends after they ran against one another. Gilmore's a boob and the Dem is actually more in line with Sen Warner. Plus, he and Webb are good friends too.
Mark will have significant reverse coattails in VA. He's really going to help BHO.
And the RPV just had a bloodbath at their convention. Hager was defeated by one of the most extreme right wing members of the GA. They're going to lose a lot of moderates this year.
June 5, 2008 9:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I hadn't really thought about the reverse coattails for Obama here in Virginia, but I think you are right. Gilmore has no credibility here after his failed term in Richmond and Warner is obviously very popular here.
I had thought that Mark Warner might be a good dark horse VP candidate if Don Beyer or someone could pick up his campaign because I thought it might help Obama take Virginia.
But I have to say that you have changed my mind with just that simple comment and I want nothing more than to keep Warner on the Senate ticket and I think the combination coattails could deliver Virginia and th country a great 2 for 1!
I'm going to get out and campaign for a candidate for the first time in my life this year and I am very very excited.
June 5, 2008 10:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is good news! (Both your comment and the post itself.)
As a heads' up to all the DC-area folks, I'm going to put together a group of interested parties who would like to do voter registration and GOTV in the Mid-Atlantic States. We need Penna and VA to be Blue in this election, and I'm rallying my friends who are politics junkies (but don't necessarily spend their work day on TPM), Obama fans, and just generally interested parties, to join in the fun. I'd love to have some TPMers (especially folks in VA) involved. I'll put up a post in a couple days when I've had a chance to rally my troops.
June 5, 2008 10:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Please do let us know. I just received a call this morning about canvasing in Loudoun County for Warner and for the 10th District congressional race from the Virginia Democratic Party.
They also said that the state Democratic volunteers can't officially start campaigning specifically for Obama yet though interestingly. I don't know if they are required to wait until Clinton concedes or if they have to wait until it is 100% office after the convention. Anybody know?
June 5, 2008 11:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
Veronica's right--although I'm not as optimistic about Obama here in Virginia. In 2004, Kerry was actually ahead in the polls here, but he lost by a solid margin.
Mark Warner and John Warner get along very well, and Mark Warner will win the senate seat easily.
June 5, 2008 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good for John Warner. In my mind he has been an honorable Senator for the past 29 years. Gilmore was a terrible governor for us here in Virginia and then went on to be the RNC head for a while where he showed he was nothing more than a typical Republican slime machine operator.
John Warner has more integrity than that and he has done this before. He didn't endorse a Republican candidate for LT-Governor in '93 (who lost), he refused to endorse Oliver North & actually endorsed an Independent candidate instead in the Virginia Senate race again Chuck Robb.
He knows that Mark Warner would be a much better Senator for Virginia than Gilmore any day even if he is a Dem. So good for John Warner, he's going out with class.
June 5, 2008 9:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, Mark Warner's approval ratings are thru the roof compared to Gilmore's. His campaign advertisement running right now is a hit against Gilmore without even mentioning his name. To paraphrase, "I inherited the worst budget deficit in Virginia's history." Well, Gilmore was the previous gov who handed him that. I think MW will make a great senator. I would have liked to have seen how he did running as pres. He would be a good vp choice also but I think he has already said no publicly a few times.
And those of you who say John Warner has to much class to endorse a boob like Gilmore, I think you are right. Reading what happened at the convention, it sounds like a the Republican Party in Virginia is moving further to the right. I did not think that was possible specially considering where we have been the last 8 years, but that appears to be happening.
We might just see a blue Virginia this year if this kind of thing keeps happening.
June 5, 2008 10:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Gilmore got the state party to skip a primary and go straight to picking at the convention which was 100% to ensure him that the party activists (far right Repubs) picked him rather than let the people pick who would probably have gone for the moderate Republican he was running against.
That is a great ad that Warner is running and highlights how terrible of a job that Gilmore did as governor here.
June 5, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink