Former Virginia Gov. and Democrat Mark Warner officially launched his bid Thursday morning for the U.S. Senate seat of Virginia’s long-serving Republican senator, John Warner. “I’ve decided the way I can contribute most to getting our country back on the right track is to serve on the United States Senate,” Mark Warner said Thursday in a video on his Web site. “I’m going to work like heck for the next 14 months to get Virginians to hire me.”
John Warner, no relation to Mark Warner, announced his plans to retire at the end of August. High profile Republicans U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., and former Gov. Jim Gilmore are also considered likely candidates for the seat.
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The race assures Warner a return to the political spotlight after he abruptly abandoned preparations for a presidential campaign last year.
Warner left office in 2005 with high approval ratings and remains popular in the state, said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
“He starts as a substantial favorite and, if he wins, it will be the first time since early January of 1970 that the Democrats have controlled both (of Virginia’s) U.S. Senate seats and the governor’s office,” Sabato said.
A top challenge for Warner is overcoming the ripples generated by the 2008 presidential race, Sabato said. The power of a strong Republican presidential candidate to boost other candidates on the same ticket could mean trouble for Warner, who would have to convince Virginians – who are likely to back a GOP candidate for president – to split their vote.
There was speculation all week about Warner announcing a bid to run for office. Monica Dixon, who runs Warner’s Forward Together political action committee, told The Examiner a time andplace for the announcement had not been selected as of Tuesday.
Mark Warner, considered a favorite for the job, left the governor’s office with strong approval ratings in January 2006 and briefly explored running for president.
Serving in the Senate would give Warner a large national stage to voice his views, but the former telecommunications executive has frequently professed his affection for the governor’s office.
During a speech in Charlottesville last week, according to The Associated Press, Warner said being governor was “the greatest job I ever had.”
“I loved being in business, but I loved being governor more,” he added.
The state’s constitution bars governors from serving back-to-back terms, and historically, chief executives have moved on to other political posts or private-sector jobs.
If Warner runs for the Senate as expected, his Republican opponent likely will be either Jim Gilmore, whom Warner succeeded as governor, or U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, whose popularity in Northern Virginia could offset Democratic gains in the region.
