Sen. Jim Webb, the first-term Virginia Democrat, announced Wednesday that he won’t seek re-election in 2012, ending prospects for a rematch with Republican George Allen, from whom Webb seized the seat in 2006. Webb was already being targeted by Republicans, who need to win only four additional seats to take control of the Senate, and GOP officials in Virginia were ecstatic at the prospect of having a shot at an open seat. “This couldn’t be worse news for the Democrats,” state Republican Party Chairman Pat Mullins said. Democrats now “face a Republican candidate in the fall in a state that has overwhelming rejected nearly every Democrat since President Obama was sworn into office,” he said.
Webb’s victory in 2006 and Obama’s historic sweep of the state in 2008 gave Democrats hope that the generally conservative Old Dominion may finally be in play politically. But Obama’s popularity has plummeted in Virginia and Webb’s decision to bow out puts the Democratic Party’s beachhead in jeopardy.
Allen, a popular former governor and senator, lost only narrowly to Webb and largely because of his own missteps. Late in the 2006 campaign, Allen called a Webb campaign aide of Indian decent “macaca,” a perceived racial slur, and never recovered.
Though their campaign was fierce, Allen was gracious in noting Webb’s departure.
“I respect Senator Webb’s service to our country and the very personal decision that he and his family have made,” Allen said in a statement. “I did not enter into this race to run against any one person, but to fight for the families of Virginia to improve their opportunities in life.”
Former Gov. Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is being talked about as a potential Senate candidate, though he dismissed such a run in the past. Kaine issued a statement praising Webb’s work, but made no mention of his own intentions.
“When you look at the Democrats who’ve won statewide elections in the past, the two names that come to mind are Tim Kaine and [Sen.] Mark Warner,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of communications at George Mason University. “One of them is already in the Senate, and the other may soon be as well.”
Beyond Kaine, Democrats have few obvious choices. Former Rep. Tom Perriello, an Obama ally who lost his re-election bid last year, has been mentioned, as has state Del. David Englin, D-Arlington.
Russ Moulton, the former 1st District Virginia GOP chairman, is among those who think Webb’s alignment with Obama put his re-election prospects in doubt anyway.
“I wouldn’t want to be Jim Webb running for re-election with all the votes he’s had over his last term,” Moulton said.
Even with Webb’s departure, Allen faces a primary fight for the seat. Jamie Radtke, a Tea Party leader in Virginia, is running and others may soon join the race, Farnsworth said.
Webb’s announcement was not unexpected. He has maintained a relatively lower profile in the Senate and taken no steps to raise money or build a campaign organization for a re-election bid.
Webb declined to elaborate on how he came to his decision. He was also vague about his future plans, saying only that he intended to return to the private sector.
