Posted on 11/04/2007 4:47:50 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
A long-brewing confrontation between Virginia's past two governors appears certain to be played out before voters next year, as Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Jim Gilmore move toward a show down for the U.S. Senate.
Warner, 52, announced his candidacy in September. Gilmore, 58, is expected to toss in his hat before Thanksgiving, according to several of his political advisers.
"These men don't like each other, they don't respect each other, and there should be a lot of fireworks," said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington.
The winner of the November 2008 election will succeed Republican John Warner, who announced in August that he will not seek a sixth term next year. John Warner is not related to Mark Warner.
The former governors aren't talking much these days about their impending race, saying they want to focus on helping candidates from their respective parties win Tuesday's General Assembly elections.
But strategists say the Warner-Gilmore race will give voters a clear choice about the future and a heaping helping of their differences in the past.
(Excerpt) Read more at content.hamptonroads.com ...
Jim Gilmore is the GOP nominee, and looking for a stronger Republican to run is a waste of time. So conservatives should rally around him, in spite of his weaknesses. Perhaps Mark Warner will stumble on the trail.
Marky Mark’s campaign theme will “I cleaned up Gilmore’s fiscal mess.”
If we are to judge a politican’s success by how he/she grew the party, Warner and Rendell would be the top of the list for Rodents/ For the GOP side, it would be Jeb Bush and Ralph Reed (for GA).
You’re correct. But Gilmore will be the nominee, and if elected, he would be good on the issues. I was opposed to his candiacy early on, but it’s clear that it’s pointless to oppose him.
Also, I don’t think that Mark Warner has really been tested on the campaign trail. A Senate race brings far more scrutiny than a state race, and he might not hold up well under it. I don’t think it’s hopeless.
Great, another weak GOP candidate. Warner’s going to roll over him. We’re doomed.
ping
Since General Pace isn’t running, then let Gilmore get the support he needs. Warner needs to have a few macaca moments to make the race competitive. I don’t think it will be a landslide for Warner. I think Warner should win by 7-9 points.
Only for a few years. Warner is going to run for president in 2012, and of course at that time he'll leave his Senate seat for the White House. Truth? I think he'll win.
Or bimbo eruptions.
Mark Warner would have a problem in 2012. If Hillary is President, he’ll have to challenge her, and that won’t happen. If Fred is the incumbent, he can run, but unless Fred has really made a mess of things, he won’t win, either. He’d be effectively shut out until 2016. Of course, if Hillary lasts until then (heaven help us), she’ll be backing Fat Boy Richardson to succeed her. Of course, we’ll be a 3rd world hellhole by then.
Easy win for Warner. I am calling it right now. Gilmore is not popular in Va for a host of reasons. Not enough time however to mention all of them.
If a former Governor whom has never lost an election (Gilmore) is a “weak” candidate, I wonder what you consider a “strong” candidate to be ? Tom Davis would’ve lost by an even wider margin, and we have no idea how General Pace would perform.
Warner, like many dems, is figuring that a Republican will win in 2008. Not because the American people adore the Republicans, but because they won't be able to bring themselves to elect John-Boy Edwards, a woman who sounds like every man's screeching ex-wife, or a black liberal with an Arab name. The dems are also figuring that no Republican president is going to last more than one term. On that point they may be wrong, but I tend to agree. By 2012 we Republicans will have had a long run, and sometimes America just gets tired of one party and wants a change, as happened in '92. So the chances are that Warner will have an open road in 2012. And he would be a very attractive candidate for the dems.
He may be "right" on the issues today, but most Virginians are not going to be so forgiving, based upon his prior performance as governor. That's what makes him weak.
However, there are no other strong Republicans lining up to run. So there is no other option but to roll the dice with Gillmore and hope for the best.
Well, unless Fred morphs into Bush, Sr., I don’t see him losing reelection. The big reason why Bush, Sr. lost in ‘92 had little to do with party fatigue and everything to do with forgetting why he was elected and whose legacy he was continuing. Had he stood up to the rodents on their demands he break his word on the tax hikes, I guarantee he would’ve won reelection handily.
John Warner will probably be supporting Mark Warner, even if not publicly, right?
But the question remains, who would you consider a strong GOP nominee to face Warner ? We don’t have a superstar heir apparent as we did with George Allen taking on Robb in 2000.
If Warner wins, you know damn well that the MSM will be trying to jam him down our throats for the next decade as a White House candidate. So, there is even more reason that Gilmore needs to win. GOP grassroots, get to work!!!
Look what happened in NY when Rudy pulled out of the US Senate race (prostate cancer) in 2000? It let Hillary get into the Senate and then there was no way to keep her from running for the WH. Stop Warner now and save us the trouble of having to stop him later.
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