Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, buoyed by a powerful lead in the last weeks of his Senate race, has linked his campaign closely with Sen. Barack Obama in the hopes of putting Virginia voters at ease with a less-familiar presidential candidate.
Warner, running for a Senate seat being vacated by Republican John Warner, enjoys a 24-point lead in the latest Virginia poll from Survey USA over James Gilmore III, the Republican governor who preceded him. Obama, by comparison, holds a much slighter advantage in the Old Dominion.
Campaign staffers say the coordination with the Obama campaign benefits both candidates; Obama is expected to bring out young and black voters, for example, who might not otherwise show up at the polls. But with Mark Warner so far ahead, it’s clear that Obama has the most to benefit from the partnership, especially in rural areas where the former governor maintains an uncommon popularity for a Democrat.
Warner introduced Obama to supporters at two rallies Wednesday, in Richmond and later in Leesburg.
“Where Gov. Warner is able to be helpful in Virginia, in either introducing or validating Sen. Obama, or spreading the message, we are certainly doing that,” said Warner spokesman Kevin Hall.
