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It would be the ultimate presidential matchup for Virginia political junkies: Sen. George Allen versus former Gov. Mark Warner. A new poll shows Warner, a Democrat, would easily win red state Virginia over the GOP's Allen if the two faced off for the Oval Office. "Mark Warner's stock has gone up and George Allen, his stock has gone down, obviously," said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research. Head to head, Warner would stomp Allen by 17 percentage points, 56 percent to 39 percent, according to the poll's measure of this increasingly unlikely scenario. The poll, conducted last...

Los Angeles, Calif.—The most unanticipated news item to emerge from the California Republican Convention at the Century Plaza Hotel last week is that former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore is thinking seriously of entering the 2008 Republican presidential sweepstakes. Jim Gilmore? At 56, the conservative one-time chairman of the Republican National Committee has been out of elective office for five years. Before serving as Virginia’s governor for one four-year term, he had served as the state’s attorney general and, before that, as Henrico County attorney. But until last week, his name had not been even vaguely mentioned among the long list...

The results of the latest GOP Bloggers straw poll are in. The poll was posted on the Red State homepage over the weekend, and first-choice results are as follows (full results with RS results in parentheses). Giuliani 24.6% (22.0%) Gingrich 21.1% (19.5%) Romney 12.8% (15.8%) Allen 11.5% (11.3%) Tancredo 6.7% (4.5%) McCain 6.4% (6.7%) Hagel 2.8% (3.3%) Brownback 2.5% (3.2%) Huckabee 1.5% (1.8%) Frist 1.1% (0.9%) Pataki 0.3% (0.3%)Read on... The Macaca incident has clearly devastated Allen’s numbers in the blogosphere, his stronghold. He used to have sky-high favorability, largely because he hadn’t done anything to offend anyone. He also...

Washington Whispers It's Gingrich's to Lose in 2008 Sorry, Hillary. And Big John, you might have missed your chance in 2000. That's because a new and innovative poll from John Zogby about 2008 presidential candidates finds former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich way out front of fellow GOP-ers like Sen. John McCain and also finds moderates like former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner far ahead of libs like Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Here's the unusual thing about the Zogby poll released to Whispers: When questioning likely primary voters, only brief biographies and not names were given. In other words, voters picked the...

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10274 Things are looking up for Mitt Romney. Not only has the outgoing Massachusetts governor been getting reasonably favorable press from usually hostile places but, courtesy of George Allen's Macaca moment, his position in the 2008 Republican presidential field suddenly looks more secure -- the most viable candidate to the right of front-runners John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. Romney appears to sense the opportunity . . . (READ ON at the link above)

The S.C. Republican Party’s sponsorship of “An Evening Honoring Rudy Giuliani” last week spoke volumes. It reflected what some said is a shift in attitude toward GOP candidates with more liberal views on social issues. There’s a greater degree of tolerance and acceptance, party officials said. Giuliani, who rose to national prominence for his take-charge performance after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, supports gay rights, gun control and legalized abortion, which puts him at odds with most Republicans. Nevertheless, he has traveled the country extensively on behalf of GOP candidates this year while acknowledging his own interest in a possible...

- Adults in the United States place three Republican politicians as their top choices for the next presidential nomination, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and Press. 26 per cent of respondents would vote like Arizona senator John McCain to be the next presidential candidate.Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is a close second with 24 per cent, followed by current state secretary Condoleezza Rice with 18 per cent. Support is lower for former House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich, Virginia senator George Allen, Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Tennessee senator Bill Frist, and...

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Virginia Sen. George Allen are strong candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, although each has serious challenges to overcome. That’s the view of Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, and one of the most influential conservatives in Washington. “When I talk to each of the presidential candidates, every one of them brings up Romney — unsolicited — because they’re all focused on him as the smartest, toughest guy in the race,” Norquist told reporters Wednesday at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. “He is very well thought of.” But...

First a disclaimer . . . I run a pro-Romney blogsite but do not get paid for it. I am a physician who blogs in my spare time and consider myself simply a vocal grassroots Romney supporter. ********************* Now on to the news at hand: This Examiner article has some interesting "insider information" for the 2008 GOP presidential race. To quote the start of the article: "Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Virginia Sen. George Allen are strong candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, although each has serious challenges to overcome. That’s the view of Grover Norquist, president of...

Related Links Arizona Politics Neither of the frontrunners has publicly committed to running. McCain repeatedly has said he will not decide until after the mid-term elections in November. Clinton also has been vague. Among Republicans, McCain was the top choice among more than 40 percent of those surveyed in the Rocky Mountain Poll. McCain unsuccessfully sought the party’s nomination in 2000. He was followed in the survey by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Next were former Rep. Newt Gingrich of Georgia, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee and Sen. George Allen of Virginia. “Seeing McCain...

John McCain (R-AZ) raised $213,282 last quarter, spending $384,258. His total cash-on-hand dropped by 15% to only $1,112,476. Compare to some other senators who have been considering running for national office. Joe Biden, from tiny Delaware, raised $3,044,942, while spending $911,196. Evan Bayh (D-IN) raised $4,598,553, while spending $830,152. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) raised $3,310,886, while spending $713,198. John Kerry (D-MA) raised $7,442,952, spending a staggering $10,221,956. Some potential candidates are running for re-election this year, but are quite transparently working to build a national campaign treasure. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has raised a mind-blowing $33,180,959, spending $16,725,827 against token opposition. But...

Arizona Senator John S. McCain, III is everywhere. He virtually lives at NBC. If not there how about CNN. And talk shows. And late night shows. Oh, how the media loves him. A maverick who came close in 2000, he is looking to make one more run at the Presidency. And at the same moment, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says he is thinking very seriously about running for President. Rudy, too, is loved by the media. How many times have you heard "America's Mayor" in introducing him. He is available to any network at the drop of a...

Senator George Allen was on Hannity and was very supportive of Israel, a sharp contrast to the other Senator from Virginia who is blocking the pro Israel resolution. He said, "I hope that Israel takes as big of a bite and chunk out of Hizbollah as possible." Allen also went on to declare that we are not just fighting against terrorism but the Islamofacist ideology. He stated that he liked Newt Gingrich's analogy of our hypothetical response to a rocket attack on Miami. This is why I support George Allen for President in 08'.

ASK GEORGE ALLEN IF HE'S RUNNING for president, and Virginia's junior senator demurs like any politician facing re-election this year. "When we get to the future, I'll determine the future," he told reporters recently. But make no mistake -- George F. Allen is running for president. Or he just happens especially to enjoy primary states. In March and April, he visited Iowa, New Hampshire, Texas, South Carolina, and North Carolina. He's courting bigwigs at state party conventions, and throwing his name in the hat for presidential straw polls. Facing two serious Democratic challengers while his re-election poll numbers hover around...

Twenty-eight months to go, and I can't wait. ( edit ) Since Condi insists she isn't interested - and for the moment I believe her - speculation ranges from base-pleasing Republicans like Sens. Bill Frist, Sam Brownback and my current favorite, George Allen, to the intriguing prospects of envelope-pushers like John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. And these two intriguing figures constitute my point of the day. There are two things I have stopped saying: first, Mr. McCain can't win, and second, Rudy won't run. I still don't believe Mr. McCain will be the '08 nominee, but his loyal support for...

Making hay in Iowa By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, June 25, 2006 When it comes to getting face time with presidential wannabes, Iowans get a little spoiled. It is not uncommon to be able to claim that the president once dripped barbecue sauce on your living room carpet.

"As Republicans, we strongly believe in freedom, including freedom of expression and association. We campaigned for office on the principles of a limited and constitutional government. As elected officials we took an oath of office to 'support this Constitution'," the letter's opening states. "The First Amendment's dictates are a model of clarity." And indeed they are: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech." But perhaps Allen & Co. didn't get the memo. The modern Republican Party can't quite grasp the plain meaning of the Constitution. After all, its leader, President Bush, signed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform...

"Republicans do not need, and should not attempt, to muzzle their opponents."Nancy Pelosi? Harry Reid? Howard Dean?Try Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), presumed 2008 presidential candidate, in a laudable attempt to return the Republican Party to its historic role as opponent of political-speech regulation. While Newt Gingrich has been railing against 2002's McCain-Feingold legislation in recent months, Allen's attack on the GOP's current effort to regulate so-called 527 groups -- independent organizations banned from coordinating with candidates or parties -- makes him the first top-tier '08 candidate to come out swinging against campaign-finance "reform."Whether it's enough to force a serious confrontation...

If Hillary Clinton is such a shoe-in for her party's 2008 presidential nomination, then a new Florida poll is something for Democrats to worry about.More than 30 months before the 2008 election, Sen. Clinton can't get more than 50 percent of the vote when matched against two unknown Republican candidates?And, given Florida's key role in the Electoral College, the new survey will almost certainly provide more fodder for one of the most popular parlor games in New York and Washington, D.C. these days - "Can Hillary Win?"That's because there is almost a consensus developing among many of the Democrats who...

State GOP Pick Gingrich In Presidential Straw Poll (AP) Minneapolis Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who engineered the Republican takeover of Congress a dozen years ago, got a boost Friday from Minnesota conservatives who want him to run for president in 2008. Gingrich was the top vote-getter in a straw poll of GOP activists at the state party convention. But the vote is at best a limited reflection of Republican sentiment in the state -- the ranks of the 1,275 delegates had thinned down considerably by the time the poll was taken, and 540 valid votes were cast. That was...

What follows is a listing of the Senators who voted AGAINST the S. 2611 amnesty bill. I have expanded the list to include each Senator's comments specific to the legislation, where available, and listed the link to their e-mail address or contact form. I have now sent a message of "Thank You" and support to each one. I hope many of you will want to do the same in greater of lesser degree, perhaps contacting only your own Senator and a few others, hopefully all. I tried to make it *easy* for you. WHY DO SO? Many of these Senators...

WASHINGTON - Call it an early, conservative rehearsal for the 2008 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, three senators supporting a chance at citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, one opposed and one waiting as long as possible to say. "Some call it amnesty. I call it probation and parole," says Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record), willing to push back against conservatives — many of whom presumably will vote in primaries and caucuses in 20 months' time. "In poll after poll after poll, Americans support earned citizenship and a comprehensive solution," adds Sen. John McCain (news, bio,...

The split between Virginia's two Republicans on the Senate immigration reform bill yesterday mirrored divisions across the nation. Sen. George Allen, the more conservative of Virginia's senators, voted against the bill, while Sen. John W. Warner, a senior and more moderate Republican, voted "yea." Allen, who is weighing a White House bid in 2008, said the bill fails to secure the nation's borders. The bill would provide a path for millions of illegal immigrants to become citizens. He blasted it as offering amnesty and a reward for illegal behavior.

WASHINGTON - Call it an early, conservative rehearsal for the 2008 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, four senators supporting a chance at citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, one opposed. "Some call it amnesty. I call it probation and parole," says Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record), willing to push back against conservatives — many of whom presumably will vote in primaries and caucuses in 20 months' time. "In poll after poll after poll, Americans support earned citizenship and a comprehensive solution," adds Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona, echoing Brownback's view as well...

APPLETON, WI – GOP activists voting in the annual WisPolitics.com Straw Poll this weekend favored JB Van Hollen for attorney general, Tommy Thompson for U.S. Senate and George Allen for president. Van Hollen and Thompson were heavily favored by official convention attendees as the picks to represent Republicans on the November ballot, while Allen, with 61 votes, narrowly edged Rudy Giuliani (60), Newt Gingrich (53) and Condi Rice (50) as the current choice for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008. Last year in Sheboygan, Secretary of State Rice won the presidential preference straw poll. And gubernatorial candidate Mark Green, lieutenant...

May 20, 2006 Sen. George Allen's re-election race this year is more about 2008 than 2006. Democrats know unseating the incumbent Virginia Republican would be a long shot, but they hope that their best attempt will tarnish his image, force him to drain his $7 million campaign accounts and take the wind out of his presidential sails. Jim Webb, a former Republican who was President Reagan's secretary of the Navy, and Harris Miller, a Northern Virginia technology executive, will face off June 13 for the Democratic nomination. The race has piqued the interest of national leaders. Sen. Charles E. Schumer...

Presidency 2008 For the first time since 1928, both major parties will have open contests for the Presidential nomination without a sitting President or Vice President in the running. Politics1 presents a "first look" at those people being mentioned as possible, likely, speculative, or draft candidates for President in 2008.

Here come the Virginians By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, May 14, 2006 Will the commonwealth of Virginia take center stage in 2008? It is not impossible that Virginia's Republican U.S. senator, George Allen, could square off against its former Democrat governor, Mark Warner, in the 2008 presidential election. Not since 1944, when Republican Gov. Thomas Dewey of New York ran against that state's former Democrat governor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, have two men from the same state opposed each other for president.

April 24, 2006 Issue Copyright © 2006 The American Conservative  Where Have All the Conservatives Gone?  The Republican Party’s top contenders for 2008 aren’t paleoconservatives—or any other kind.  By W. James Antle III  Come 2008, who will succeed George W. Bush at the helm of a troubled Republican Party? Though the next presidential race is far off, the question is already on conservatives’ minds.The last few months haven’t been kind to Republican operatives who assumed President Bush’s slide in popularity would be temporary. Instead, his approval ratings have settled below 40 percent, averaging 38 percent over the last four Gallup...

Hillary beats Allen; Rudy beats Hillary; McCain falls; Romney rises By: DaveGOP · Section: Diaries Just a notch to the right of the nation in the last two election cycles, Florida voters are once again making their preferences known regarding the next presidential contest, with mixed news for the Big Four.  The poll was taken by Quinnipiac University, with the full results posted here: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x12942.xml?ReleaseID=906 Rudy Giuliani beats Hillary by 12 points among Florida voters, garnering 90 percent of Republicans and increasing his margin over the senator by 2 points from February. As in the recent Cook poll, John McCain...

April 19, 2006 -- BLUE BELL, Pa. - Rudy Giuliani took a few swipes at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday while campaigning for a Republican senator. In a speech on behalf of Sen. Rick Santorum, Giuliani recalled that for most of his mayoralty, there was one Republican and one Democratic senator representing New York. MO< "[For] one year, I had Hillary," he mock-complained, drawing laughter. After a pause, he continued: "There's that book that just came out . . . [it] points out that one thing that Hillary and I do have in common: We're both Yankee fans. I became...

WASHINGTON - They know they want to be in political office come January 2009. Which office, though, they have not decided upon yet. Three potential presidential candidates — Republican Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) of Virginia, Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd (news, bio, voting record) of Connecticut — shied away from stating any presidential aspirations on Sunday's news programs. All contended that they were intent on winning re-election, not gaining the nomination for president in 2008. Allen: "My father was the football coach of the Redskins here, and one of his famous...

With the Democrat Presidential primaries apparently already completed, and Hillary Clinton declared the uncontested winner, it might behoove Republicans to start pondering a workable strategy for the 2008 election cycle. Thus far, it has been the “business as usual” wing of the party, with such notable past candidates as Bob Dole, who are working hardest to define the impending race. And true to form, if they continue to dominate we should resign ourselves to “President Hillary,” nationalized health care, and the grim eventuality of our children being raised by some bureaucratic monstrosity of a “village.” The list of Republican names...

Rudy Giuliani better hope that a new documentary on his mayoralty, "Giuliani Time," never makes it to cineplexes in Iowa, New Hampshire and other presidential battlegrounds. The two-hour film, which debuts May 12, casts Giuliani not as the hero of 9/11 - the role that won him acclaim as America's Mayor - but rather as the iron-fisted ruler of a city where children went hungry, the poor were forgotten and many city cops were racists. In short, "Giuliani Time" seeks to do for Giuliani what Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" did for President Bush - namely, shine an unsparing light on...

Power Ranking The Horse Previous Ranking Momentum The Tip Sheet 1 John McCain Yes, we fully expect to receive enough hate e-mail from hardcore conservatives for our server guys to curse us and accuse our mothers of wearing combat boots. But McCain owns the polls, the media still wants to take him to prom and he's making serious overtures to the right to repair any damage done in 2000 and during his campaign finance crusade. So he's in the lead now, but only by an SPF-50 protected nose. 2 George Allen Allen slips a step, but he remains a serious...

John McCain Seeking Republican Nomination – Arizona Senator John McCain has been meeting and greeting Texans, often escorted by Bush backer and former U.S. Congressman Tom Loeffler, a lobbyist and influential mover and shaker in political circles in the President’s home state. Recently, McCain has visited Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas, in an effort to round up commitments from Bush’s “Rangers” (contributors of $200,000) and “Pioneers” ($100,000). Former Governor Bill Clements reportedly contributed $5,000 to McCain, and Mark McKinnon, who put together Bush’s “message” during the last campaign, has signed on, evidently to help McCain overcome his negative image...

Sen. George Allen predicted last year that Democrats would seek revenge against him for helping make Republican gains in the Senate, and it appears he was right. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), two Democrats hoping to replace him and the New Hampshire Democratic Party last week delivered stinging messages and even called for his resignation. The groups criticized Allen, calling him "bored George," for complaining about the slow pace of the Senate. They also say he should decide whether he is running for re-election or making a bid for the White House. Mr. Allen was chairman of the National...

Sen. George Allen split with President Bush over the illegal immigration crisis on Sunday, making him the only likely 2008 presidential candidate to back an "enforcement first" approach to border security. "I think it's vitally important that we first and foremost recognize that there's a consensus in America that we need to secure our borders," Allen told ABC's "This Week."

Senator George Allen (R-VA), the third subject in Townhall.com’s series on potential 2008 presidential contenders, visited South Carolina this past Friday. As keynote speaker, Allen drew in the crowds to a fundraiser for Ralph Norman, Republican candidate for South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District. After his speech, Allen sat down with Townhall.com to discuss his thoughts on today’s issues and what the future holds for conservative politics. Included here are excerpts from both the speech and exclusive interview.COLUMBIA, SC -- George Allen is a serious contender for the Republican nomination for president. A former governor, he wears cowboy boots and can...

Lets hit this one...

DAVENPORT, Iowa - U.S. Sen. George Allen gave a breakfast speech Saturday here in Iowa, a state that could be crucial if he runs for president in 2008. Several hours later, he gave a dinner speech in Virginia Beach, the largest city in his home state, where he faces a re-election battle this fall. As the Republican senator juggles his two apparent political goals, he edges closer to creating a campaign issue at home. Allen, 54 , will not commit to serving out his six-year term should he reclaim his Senate seat in November. "I'll consider the future when I...

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- U.S. Sen. George Allen preached a message of fiscal discipline this weekend to Iowa Republicans eyeing him as a potential Republican candidate for president in 2008. "We don't have a revenue problem in Washington, we have a spending problem," the Virginia senator said to Republican audiences in Cedar Falls on Friday and Davenport yesterday. "He sounds like he's got a lot of Ronald Reagan in him," said Al Kroeger, who had journeyed from Wilton to a breakfast meeting in Davenport yesterday morning to size up Allen. Maryann Cooper of Garrison said she liked what she heard at...

Looking toward 2008.The non-McCain primary has begun. There are two major slots in the battle for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination — one for Arizona maverick John McCain, the other for some other candidate. So the battle is on to be, as insiders put it, "the non-McCain," the conservative who will try to stand athwart the sometimes unorthodox, party-defying McCain for the nomination.McCain is assured top billing in the nomination race, and his challenge has little to do with other candidates — his imperative is to re-assure GOP regulars that they can trust him. But there will be clawing to...

Restless Republicans are already looking beyond the embattled presidency ... to the 2008 campaign. ... The delegates were voting in an informal "straw poll" to test the popularity of White House hopefuls including those in attendance -- Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Sen. George Allen of Virginia, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee. ... Despite controlling the White House and Congress for most of the past five years, many Republicans feel both have fallen short on a number of issues including tax reform, fiscal...

Ok let us just say that 2008 comes down to Mitt Romney and George Allen, who would you support and why? In my opinion both men are social conservatives. Romney gets attacked for being a northern RINO, but he had to run as a social moderate in order to be elected Governor in Teddy's backyard. Romney in my opinion would have an easier time defeating the Democratic opponent. He is smart, good looking, charismatic, and is a Northerner. He will be able to swing some moderate Northern states. However, Romney is a mormon. Although that would not preclude me from...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The historic Peabody Hotel's grand ballroom felt more like a locker-room Saturday morning as the Southern Republican Leadership Conference kicked off its second day. But was the game plan just for 2006? As the morning's first speaker, Sen. George Allen woke up the slightly sleepy GOP crowd with a speech quite familiar to Virginians who have watched him win races for the House, the governorship, and, most recently, the Senate over the last 20 years. He harkened the words of his heroes: Ronald Reagan, Thomas Jefferson, and his dad, the late football coach George Allen, Sr. He...

I must confess, none of these guys make me very excited: More than 20 months before any real votes are cast, Republican Senate leader Bill Frist of Tennessee won a straw poll on Saturday of party activists choosing their early favorite in the 2008 White House race. Frist, who packed the home-state crowd with supporters wearing blue "Frist is my leader" buttons, won nearly 37 percent of the 1,427 votes cast by delegates to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was second with 13 percent, while Sen. George Allen of Virginia finished tied for third with President...

The Virginian Moment: Allen vs. Warner in '08? Wait! We've got some great elections coming up this year! ..... No, some folks insist on focusing on '08, and lo and behold, Virginia's got the juice. ...... Warner has the aura that may count most in the next election cycle--that of competence

At last week's 33rd annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., a clear frontrunner emerged for the 2008 Republican primary: Ronald Wilson Reagan. Everyone wants to be Reagan's heir, it seems. Absolutely no one wants to be George W. Bush's -- at least when it comes to domestic policy. The criticism of Bush started with the very first panel, on immigration. "Open borders are wrong … no matter how good they are for the restaurant industry," said Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), blasting the president's proposed guest-worker program. "It is the president who is out of step with his party,...

Welcome to the latest edition of PoliticalDerby.com's 2008 Power Rankings, the first tracking service of the '08 race for the White House. The rankings are updated as circumstances warrant, generally twice a month. Beginning in January of 2007 the rankings will be updated weekly until the major party conventions in August of 2008. The rankings are compiled by our in-house Jockey using wire reports, campaign staffer scuttlebutt, and confidential tips from you. The rankings may not be reprinted or quoted in any form without attribution to PoliticalDerby.com. GOP Horses | DEM Horses Power Ranking The Horse Previous Ranking Momentum The...