Since John Warner’s announcement that he would not run again for the Senate in 2008, and former Democratic Gov. Mark Warner’s decision to run for the open seat, Republicans have been talking.
They’re talking about how to keep Virginia, once thought to be one of the most reliable of conservative states, from sending two Democrats to Washington to represent the Old Dominion in the Senate.
And the talk centers around two men, Fairfax Congressman Tom Davis, and former governor Jim Gilmore.
Both men are testing the waters. Davis visited the Local in August before John Warner decided to retire, and talked about his pragmatic view of politics. He is perceived as the more moderate Republican who will do better in Northern Virginia and Tidewater against Mark Warner.
Gilmore, best known for his “no car tax” legacy, is an unabashed conservative, with positions on the issues that fit the Republican base.
Attention within the GOP now centers on the nominating process.
Both men have said they will announce their decisions on a Senate run after the Nov. 6 general election. Now the party has to decide whether to use a convention or a primary to nominate its candidate.
But the question looming large is, can either candidate defeat Mark Warner, the popular ex-governor with the deep, deep pockets, and a seemingly teflon-like quality which allowed him to push through a tax increase marketed as a “tax reform”, after promising in pre-election debates that he would not raise taxes?
So who could? Maybe no one.
But one potential candidate, the one with his back to the camera in the file photo from 1994 below, might have the star power to activate the conservative base of the GOP and make things interesting.
He’s probably not even interested, since he’s drawing down all that loot from Fox News, but if Republicans really want to beat Democrat Mark Warner and hold on to at least one Senate seat, perhaps they should talk to former Senate candidate Oliver North.
