Fmr. Gov. Mark Warner (VA) may be at the top of the VP list

[BluegrassDem]

There's a lot of scuttlebutt that Warner is much higher atop Obama's list than most pundits think. With Warner, Obama would carry Virginia hands down. He's an outsider and could succeed Obama at the end of 8 years. He's an early supporter and shares Obama's views mostly.

The problem: He's a shoo-in for the senate!

My question...if Obama chose Warner and he dropped out of the race, would Gov. Kaine be a viable alternative? VA limits governors to only 1 term in office and Kaine will be out of a job in a couple of years. Of course, if Kaine won the senate race, then a Repuke would take over the governorship, but that might be worth the sacrifice if it makes Obama president.

[PretzelWarrior]

1. I don't care what you say....my choices are

Hagel
Warner
Biden
Webb
Wes Clark

[Thrill]

2. Webb hasn't even endorsed Obama. That bothers me

Whereas Warner and Kaine have been behind him for a while. Webb, can't expect to be offered VP

[Ashy Larry]

11. Warner hasn't endorsed either.

Both he and Webb will endorse Obama tomorrow.

[Drunken Irishman]

3. I liked Hagel too, but got slammed. :(

I'd only go for Hagel, though, if it were decided he'd not run in 8 years.

[Thrill]

15. Its tough to put a conservative like him that close to the Presidency

He would make a heck of a Secretary of Defense though

[Tatiana]

6. Hagel? Has he rejected and denounced the Republican Party?

Has he become a Democrat?

[PretzelWarrior]

8. not that I'm aware of.

but I thought Cohen made a good S.O.Defense.

[newmajority]

14. Cohen wasn't one of the creators of electro-fraud "voting" like Hagel was

That's a big difference. I don't want an election stealing scumbag on this ticket. That goes for Rendell too.

[Ashy Larry]

9. I don't think Clark would be a good choice for VP.

Maybe Secretary of Defense.

Not sure about Hagel either. He would have to change his positions on a lot of issues.

I agree with the rest of your list. Webb is my first choice. What do you think about Chris Dodd for VP?

[PretzelWarrior]

18. from electoral standpoint--no help at all

but I do like Chris Dodd

[sandnsea]

13. Are you familiar with Hagel's politics?

He is as conservative as they come, more conservative than McCain. Other than disagreeing with the war, I can't think of a single Democratic position that he has.

[TeamJordan23]

4. Well an Obama/Warner would bring out tremendous Dem turnout in VA

And so I would think that Warner's replacement would still have a good shot at winning.

I do not know if he was an 'early supporter' though. Warner never endorsed anyone, but his wife did run a local Finance committee for Obama in VA.

[BluegrassDem]

5. Warner would turn VA blue in a heartbeat

It might not even be contested. That's 13 EV's that Obama could put in his back pocket in case of a rainy day.

[Tatiana]

7. I love Warner, but I want the other Warner's Senate seat!

We wouldn't have enough time to field someone who could win it if Warner was selected VP.

He is so very photogenic, though...

[PretzelWarrior]

10. who cares? we're picking up at least 5 or more senate seats

that is my prediction.

[BluegrassDem]

17. Well Gov. Kaine could step in and run in Warner's place

He's gonna be term-limited in a couple of years anyway. He's gonna need a job, might as well as jump and go to the Senate while the gettin' is good.

[Drunken Irishman]

19. Winning VA in the general is more important than getting the Warner seat.

Especially if it clinches the election for Obama!

[cbc5g]

12. Warner would make it easy to carry Virginia Ohio and Pennsylvania

He's very respected in Virginia and the guy hes running against for the senate seat right now isnt popular at all.

[cbc5g]

16. Check it out

Hes on the far right side of the picture.



http://www.observer.com/2008/obama-warner-scenario

To the early list of possible running-mates if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee, add Mark R. Warner.

Warner is a frighteningly logical pick for the VP spot, with the seemingly insurmountable catch that he committed to running for U.S. Senate from Virginia as soon as Republican John Warner announced his retirement in early September.

But apparently, there’s some wiggle room there.

At a private fund-raiser for a nonprofit organization in New York yesterday, Warner was asked by an attendee about his interest in being a Democratic running mate. In response, he said he was commited to the Senate race, but also noted that he never rules anything out.

And a Virginia investor and influential Warner supporter I spoke to afterward seemed to reaffirm the idea that the VP idea was in play. “I can’t imagine that he’d rule it out,” the supporter said.

With Warner in the Senate race, national Democrats have been penciling in the Virginia contest as an almost-guaranteed Senate seat pickup, a rare opportunity for a sweat-free incursion into traditionally Republican turf. A former governor with stratospheric favorable ratings, Warner leads his presumed Republican opponent, former Governor Jim Gilmore, by at least 20 points, a margin that probably won’t shrink much before Election Day. (There’s a remote chance that Bob Marshall, an ardent abortion foe in the Virginia House of Delegates, could beat out Gilmore at the G.O.P. state convention this spring.)

UPDATE *** Gilmore won by getting barely over 50% state convention support, not good for him.

But a perfectly plausible scenario exists that would enable Obama (assuming, of course, that he’s the nominee) to tap Warner—something that would instantly enhance the Democratic ticket’s prospects of carrying Virginia and its 13 electoral votes for the first time since 1964—while preserving the party’s strong position in the Senate race.

Warner, 53, would bring more than just his home state popularity to an Obama-led ticket. He would also provide the executive experience missing from Obama’s résumé, and in a campaign in which the economy is increasingly taking center stage, Warner’s business background—he amassed a fortune investing in technology companies and helping to launch Nextel—would boost the ticket’s credibility on the subject. And as a centrist with a knack for winning Republican support, his presence could make Obama viable even in some Southern states.

More to the point, Warner and Obama are in many ways cut from the same stylistic cloth. They’re both believers in a less ideological, future-vs.-past type of politics. Warner’s signature gubernatorial achievement was a tax reform package that raised rates for some in order to preserve the state’s bond rating and to create new revenue for public education. In a tax-phobic state, he enlisted crucial support from business leaders and Republicans—including Senator John Warner—to push the plan through the Legislature.

When Virginia’s one-term limit forced him from office at the end of 2005, his approval rating stood near 80 percent—one of the main reasons Democrat Tim Kaine was able to win a narrow victory to succeed him.

But what about that pesky Senate race that Warner committed himself to?

It’s actually not too complicated. Here’s one scenario: Obama secures the nomination in the near future and makes an early announcement that Warner is his running mate—sometime before June, when Virginia’s Democrats will pick their nominee, probably at a state convention (they may also call a primary).

Or Obama could just as easily tap Warner over the summer (the Democratic convention isn’t until August), in which case Warner would simply vacate his Senate nomination. Virginia law allows candidates to withdraw up to 60 days before an election (September 5 this year), with their state party picking a replacement.


It’s also worth noting the overlap between Warner’s political universe and Obama’s. Warner himself hasn’t endorsed anyone for president (because of his status as a Senate candidate), but his wife chaired a “Women for Obama” committee in Virginia. And when Warner opted not to run for president in the fall of '06, most of his top financial backers—Beyer included—shifted their allegiances to Obama, who was then on the verge of entering the race.

[taught_me_patience]

20. WARNER!!!

He's been my first choice all along. Please be true!

[cbc5g]

21. My first choice too...He fits in with Obama's message perfectly and has huge support in Virginia

A state that, if it were to go Blue, would signal that a huge defeat was in store for McCain.

[taught_me_patience]

24. I agree that Virgina is key

If McCain lost Virginia, it would be a real blow to his chances.

[LordJFT]

22. why would a repuke get the governorship?

[Hope And Change]

23. I really like Warner too.Hope this is true.

[cbc5g]

25. Barack will be in Virginia TODAY! And I expect the endorsements will occur !

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2008/06/obama_to_campaign_in_virginia.html


I'm excited! :)

[Occam Bandage]

26. Warner was my first choice for President. He'd be fantastic as VP.