2008-07-24T00:28:05Z tag:blog.washingtonpost.com,2008:/virginiapolitics//97 Copyright (c) 2008, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive 2008-07-24T00:28:05Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-23:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/jim_wilson_moves_into_new_role.html

The Virginia Democratic Party's coordinated campaign announced tonight that Jim Wilson, a former Republican operative who still apparently supports Arizona Sen. John McCain's presidential ambitions, will not be added to its payroll. Wilson, who used to do work for former senator George Allen (R), was supposed to join the coordinated campaign as a consultant because he now supports Democratic Senate candidate Mark R. Warner. But Mike Henry, Warner's campaign manager, issued a statement saying Wilson...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

TimCraig 2008-07-23T20:52:18Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-23:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/gop_has_fun_with_kaine_video.html

A video promoting Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) and the Democratic resurgence in Virginia is starting to pop up all over the Internet, just as the governor is being mentioned as a possible vice-presidential candidate for Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Charles Kelly, Kaine's political director, said the Google ad is a "good way to engage potential voters" and draw them to the website of the governor's political action committee,...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

TimCraig 2008-07-24T01:39:29Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-23:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/wagner_gears_up_to_run_for_lg.html

Jody W. Wagner, secretary of finance, may not have officially resigned to run for lieutenant governor yet but several people close to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) say he has already picked her replacement. Richard D. Brown, director of the Department of Planning and Budget, is expected to be named finance secretary after Wagner resigns next week to launch a bid for lieutenant governor in 2009. Wagner said last week that she plans to consider...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Anita Kumar 2008-07-23T16:29:35Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-23:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/coordinating_va_democrats_no_s.html

The Virginia Democratic Party's decision to add Jim Wilson, a longtime Republican operative, to the payroll of its coordinated campaign may be a sign that Democratic efforts this year may not be so coordinated after all. The coordinated Democratic campaign has been established to boost U.S. Senate candidate Mark R. Warner, congressional candidates and Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the party's presumptive nominee for president. Although he is a Republican, Wilson supports Warner and travels the...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Nick Anderson 2008-07-23T02:23:30Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-22:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/virginia_democrats_have_cash_r.html

The Virginia Democratic Party continues to have a crushing advantage over the Virginia Republican Party when it comes to money that can be spent on the presidential, U.S. Senate and congressional races this year. In campaign finance reports filed this week with the Federal Election Commission, the state Democratic Party had about $729,000 in its federal account, about $120,000 less than it had a month ago. The Republican Party of Virginia reported it has $101,000...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

TimCraig 2008-07-22T22:15:15Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-22:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/democrats_plot_aggressive_pres.html

The difference in how presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain are approaching this fall's election in Virginia can be seen in the campaigns' press strategies. While McCain and the Republicans are taking a regional approach when it comes to selling their message, Obama and the Democrats have embraced a local strategy. Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, already had a Virginia communications director, Kevin Griffis. On Monday, the campaign also hired press secretary Ashley Etienne....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Anita Kumar 2008-07-22T16:52:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-22:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/gop_mocks_brian_moran.html

The Republican Party of Virginia is seizing on Del. Brian J. Moran's decision to pay Del. Lionell Spruill Sr. (D-Chesapeake) $7,500 a month to be an "outreach coordinator" for his campaign for governor. In an article published today in the Virginian Pilot, Spruill is quoted as saying his salary is "no big money." "Anyone could have matched it," Spruill said of the $90,000-a-year salary. Spruill is vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Moran (D-Alexandria),...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Nick Anderson 2008-07-22T16:47:49Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-22:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/mark_warner_on_roe_v_wade_and.html

Democratic Senate candidate Mark R. Warner, who supports abortion rights, said over the weekend he would be open to voting to confirm a justice to the Supreme Court who is on record as opposing the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion rights. When asked the question after his debate with Republican candidate James S. Gilmore III, Warner said he would have "no single litmus test issue" when it comes to deciding in the...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Nick Anderson 2008-07-21T21:40:22Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-21:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/democrat_files_in_houses_52nd.html

It's a little early, but former U.S. Marine and retired Secret Service veteran Mike Hodge, has filed for the House of Delegates 52nd District. The seat isn't up until 2009. Hodge, a Democrat, apparently wants to stake his claim on the seat while the plans of Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick (R-Prince William) are still up in the air. Frederick, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, initially vowed not to seek re-election next year if...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Kristen Mack 2008-07-21T21:04:28Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-21:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/mccain_obama_campaigns_hold_du.html

Sen. John McCain's campaign announced today the Virginia Veterans for McCain, a statewide group that will work to bolster the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's support within the veterans' community in the state. The organization boasts members from various generations, including veterans from World War II to the raq war, in all of the state's 11 congressional districts. "John McCain has the experience, judgment and character to lead this country as commander-in-chief,'' group chairman Paul Galanti...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Anita Kumar 2008-07-22T16:49:22Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-21:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/where_was_doug_wilder.html

Thousands of people withstood the 90-plus-degree heat today for the unveiling of a monument outside the state Capitol that commemorates those who helped bring about the end of school segregation across the state and nation. They included NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, actor Blair Underwood, poet Nikki Giovanni, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, former governor Mark R. Warner, Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, House Speaker William J. Howell and several other members of the General Assembly. But...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Anita Kumar 2008-07-21T23:52:15Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-21:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/the_mysterious_mccainwarner_ca.html

Some motorists who traveled to The Homestead Friday night for the U.S. Senate debate between Democrat Mark R. Warner and Republican James S. Gilmore III were doing double-takes as they drove from Warm Springs to Hot Springs in Bath County. About four miles from The Homestead, blue and white "Warner for Senate" signs began to line the highway. Interspersed with those signs were about a half-dozen signs that included the Democrat's name as well as...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

TimCraig 2008-07-20T01:43:06Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-19:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/the_early_word_from_the_homest.html

The U.S. Senate debate between Democrat Mark R. Warner and Republican James S. Gilmore III has ended, and the early line from the pressroom is that it was a draw. "Neither former governor scored a breakthrough," Bob Lewis of the Associated Press wrote in his initial story on the 75-minute debate. Because Gilmore needed the debate more than Warner, the overall dynamics of the race did not change. But several things stood out....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

TimCraig 2008-07-19T20:05:45Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-19:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/gilmore_warner_meet_for_debate.html

With the U.S. Senate debate between Republican James S. Gilmore and Democrat Mark R. Warner starting in a few minutes, both men are squeezing in a last round of debate preparation. Warner and Gilmore, both former governors, have already spent much of the last week huddled with staff engaged in mock debates. Richmond lobbyist David Hallock stood in for Gilmore during Warner's sessions. Del. M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights), the House majority whip, helped out...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

TimCraig 2008-07-18T21:08:31Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-18:/virginiapolitics/2008/07/joseph_v_gartlan_jr_a_former_s.html

Former state senator Joseph V. Gartlan Jr, a Democrat who represented Fairfax County in the General Assembly for nearly three decades, died earlier this morning after a sudden illness, according to family members. He was 82. Gartlan was a leading liberal voice, and fierce booster of Northern Virginia, during his tenure before retiring in 1999. "Senator Gartlan was a true statesman. He wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to issues of social...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

TimCraig