With a full slate of legislative elections in Virginia this year, we're skipping ahead a bit to focus on '08, where some interesting races are beginning to shape up.
The big question is whether Senator John Warner seeks re-election. If not, Democrats have a terrific opportunity to pick up another Senate seat and one or two House seats.
Rep. Tom Davis, a moderate Republican representing an increasingly Democratic district in Northern Virginia, has expressed interest in running for Warner's seat. If Davis does so (or otherwise decides not to run for re-election), the Chairman of Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors, Gerald Connolly, a Democrat, has been hinting that he'll make a run for Davis's seat. With the huge Democratic majority in Fairfax County, Connolly would probably win, marking a Dem pick-up.
The race for Warner's Senate seat could be quite interesting. Aside from Davis, former Senator George Allen has recently expressed interest in running if Warner steps down. That could set the stage for an entertaining Republican primary. On the Democratic side, we can only hope that former Governor Mark Warner will run. We think Warner would best either Allen or Davis. The question in our mind is whether Mark Warner will instead be focused on the possibility of obtaining the nod as Democratic candidate for Vice President, a position of which he's made known his interest.
Virginia with two Democratic senators? Now wouldn't that be sweet!
