Mark Warner breezes to win in U.S. Senate

The Associated Press
Published: November 5, 2008

Democrat Mark Warner defeated fellow former governor Jim Gilmore in Tuesday’s contest to represent Virginia in the Senate, giving Democrats control of both Virginia Senate seats for the first time since 1970.

Warner held huge leads in polls throughout the race, so Democrats had counted on picking up the seat. Gilmore never gained traction as Virginians were largely focused on the historic presidential campaign.

Warner, who styled himself as a “radical centrist” who would emphasize bipartisanship, picked up significant support from Republicans. About a quarter of voters who said in exit polling they consider themselves Republican voted for him, and nearly a third of those who said they voted for Republican John McCain for president split the ticket, backing Warner.

With almost all precincts reporting, Warner led Gilmore by a nearly 30-point margin.

In a victory speech, Warner said the results show that “Virginians said they want their next senator to focus on results, not rhetoric.”

Warner cautioned Democrats against overplaying their hand as they solidified their hold on Congress.

“I want to make sure Democrats don’t have the same arrogance that Republicans had after the elections in 2000,” Warner said in interviews shortly before the polls closed, anticipating overall gains in both houses of Congress for his party.

Warner’s victory caps a rapid turnaround for Democrats in the state. Just two years ago, Republicans held both Senate seats. But in 2006 Democrat Jim Webb eked out a victory over Republican George Allen in a race that gave Democrats control of the Senate.

The last time Democrats controlled both Senate seats in Virginia was 1970, when Harry F. Byrd Jr. — a product of the legendary Byrd Machine that controlled Virginia politics through much of the 20th century, including its era of segregation — left the party to become an independent.

Susan Parker of Blacksburg waited three hours to cast her ballot for Barack Obama and Warner. She said she was thrilled when Warner announced he would run for the Senate.

“The way he helped the financial situation in Virginia was excellent,” Parker said of Warner, who raised taxes on his watch to clean up a fiscal mess he blamed on Gilmore. “They need somebody like that in Congress.”

Warner, a telecommunications tycoon prior to his political career, will succeed Republican John Warner, a moderate Republican who is retiring after a 30-year Senate career. The elder Warner did not endorse either candidate, and he is not related to Mark Warner.

The race featured two men who each had aborted presidential aspirations in 2008.

A decade ago, Gilmore swept into office on a promise to eliminate the state’s property tax on automobiles. This year, Gilmore acknowledged there was no single issue that caught on with voters like his “No Car Tax” pledge in 1997.

Instead, the race largely focused on the two candidates’ records as governor. That worked against Gilmore, who left office on a sour note after a nasty budget battle with a state legislature controlled by his own party.

In contrast, Warner left office with soaring popularity even though he had pushed through a broad package of tax increases — something he said was necessary because of the rigid anti-tax philosophy of Gilmore, his predecessor.

Warner won or was leading in all 11 of the state’s congressional districts. His lead was so strong that cable news networks called the race for Warner immediately after polls closed at 7 p.m. — several minutes before the doors opened at his victory party in McLean.