Shortly after Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) called a special session to try to tackle transportation funding issues, the governor gave a blunt assessment of what he hoped to accomplish by advocating a tax increase even though he didn't have the support of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.

"It will be very productive to either try to find a solution or make it plain to people who are standing in the way," Kaine said in an interview with The Washington Post in May. "We are going to make something happen or let the public see who is obstructing, and frankly, that is one of the reasons why Democrats have won elections in Virginia."

But 10 days into the special session on transportation -- legislators have been on vacation for six of those days -- it remains uncertain whether any solution will be found or whether the governor will score any of those political points.

As the 2008 Virginia Democratic Party convention draws to a close, here are eight observations about the weekend's events at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton.

1) If the Democrats' goal was to leave the convention united behind Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), they still have a lot of work to do. Surprisingly, numerous supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY.) said they weren't sure if they would vote for Obama in the fall.

Here are some winners and losers from the Virginia Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Day dinner Saturday night in Richmond. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) spoke to about 6,000 party activists and donors. Before the event, which also featured speeches from a elected leaders and party officials, hundreds of Clinton and Obama supporters faced off outside the Stuart C. Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Winners:

Barack Obama Virginia organizers: Obama supporters appeared to outnumber Clinton supporters by about 3 to 1. Before the dinner, about 300 Obama supporters paraded down one of Richmond's busiest streets to show their support for their candidate. The Obama campaign, aided by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's (D) trusted political aide Charlie Kelly, even brought in a marching band to lead the group. There was little doubt inside or outside the Siegel Center that Obama supporters appeared more energetic.

This Week's Winners:

Tom Perriello - A Democratic candidate for Congress in the 5th District, Tom Perriello is being touted as a possible serious challenger to Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va) this year. Some Democrats in Richmond say Perriello, who raised $263,000 last year, will be well funded, considering the relatively cheap television advertisements costs in southern Virginia. Goode remains heavily favored to win, but Perriello can't be disappointed with the free press he got this week in the Martinsville Bulletin and the Roanoke Times. You can find the articles here and here.

This week's winners

House Speaker William J. Howell -- Despite lots of pressure from delegates, Howell stands firm in opposing an increase in the daily allowance, or per diem, citing the state's budget shortfall.

Del. Steve Shannon (D-Fairfax)- Campaign finance reports show that Shannon, a possible Democratic candidate for attorney general next year, has over $202,000 in the bank. Shannon is also speaking more often on the House floor, which may help raise his profile in preparation for a statewide campaign.

Del. Lionel Spruill Sr. (D-Chesapeake) -- Spruill earns headlines nationwide over his bill to make it illegal to hang rubber testicles from a vehicle hitch.

This Week's Winners

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va) - Roll Call, the Capitol Hill paper, reported that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee plans to target 40 Republican-held House seats next year. No seats from Virginia are on the list. By excluding Davis's district, which includes Fairfax and Prince William counties, Democrats are signaling that he remains in a strong position if he decides to run again.

House and Senate Republicans- After years of squabbling, top Senate and House leaders showed this week they can be far more effective when they are unified. After Kaine unveiled his budget, they spoke with one voice, setting the stage for a purely partisan battle over the budget, which hasn't occurred since the late 1990s.

Barack Obama - Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Va) endorsed his presidential bid. If the race for the Democratic nomination is still competitive by Virginia's Feb. 12 primary, Obama will have two major party figures - Scott and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) - working hard to deliver the state for him.

This Week's Winners

U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) - Del. Robert Wittman's victory this week in the 1st Congressional District shows the advantage GOP candidates have running in districts that were created to elect Republicans. Wolf's district is more Democratic than the 1st but it still leans Republican. He will be favored to win reelection next year despite a possible rematch with Democrat Judy Feder.

Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) - Deeds' unexpectedly early announcement that he's running for governor in 2009 catches his Democratic rivals for the nomination off guard.

House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford). As former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee continues to surge this week in several polls, Howell looks as if he has good political instincts. Howell endorsed Huckabee in August, when the former governor was in the single digits in most polls.

Winners

Legislative Black Caucus - Senate leaders announced this week that four out of five African-American senators will chair a committee when the General Assembly convenes in January, a stunning ascendancy in power in a state that has historically be run by white men.

Doug Denneny - A Democratic House candidate in the 11th congressional district, Denneny was endorsed this week by U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa), a rising star within the Democratic party. Denneny and Murphy are both veterans of the war an Iraq, which they oppose.

The annual Virginia Republican Party Advance is the ultimate venue for schmoozing, jockeying for attention and laying the groundwork for future bids for office. So here's my take on the winners and losers of this weekend's event, which drew about 650 party activists and leaders to the Hyatt Regency at Crystal City.

Advance Winners -

Attorney General Bob McDonnell - The attorney general hosted a party for GOP activists on Friday and Saturday nights. Both were well attended, and there were plenty of people throughout the weekend wearing "Bob McDonnell" stickers. There also was a strong sentiment from GOP activists that McDonnell should run for governor in 2009, even if former governor and senator George Allen enters the race.

George Allen - While Allen wasn't nearly as visible as McDonnell was, the former governor and senator gave what many considered to be a strong, inspiring speech in support of Fred Thompson's presidential bid.

This Week's Winners

Barack Obama - Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and his 17-year-old son, Nat, spent the weekend shuffling around Iowa, attending 10 small events for the Democratic presidential candidate. If Kaine worked that hard in Iowa for Obama, you've got to expect that the governor will pull out all the stops to help him win Virginia in the Feb. 12 Democratic primary -- assuming the nomination fight is still competitive.

Del. Christopher B. Saxman - The Republican delegate from Staunton sends out signals he may challenge former governor James S. Gilmore III for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. Saxman's potential candidacy has created a buzz among party activists and conservative bloggers who fear Gilmore is unelectable in a general election. While Saxman faces an uphill challenge, it's noteworthy that a three-term delegate is even being considered as a possible credible challenger to a former governor.

An occasional list of people in the news who came out on top. Or not.
This Week's Winners
George Allen - The former governor and senator reemerged onto the political stage this week with an op-ed in the Richmond Times Dispatch and a press conference announcing his support for Fred Thompson's bid for the GOP nomination for president. In both settings, Allen began to reassert his influence into the Virginia Republican Party. At the press conference, Allen was affable, humble, folksy and talkative.

Planned Parenthood - After Democrats' success in the Nov. 6 legislative elections, the women's rights organization feels emboldened to crow about its renewed influence in state politics. The organization sent out a press release Monday noting that Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) wants to cut off state funding for abstinence-only sex education programs. Planned Parenthood says the election results proves Virginia voters back Kaine's approach because they are "tired of ideology."

RICHMOND- Here are the answers to the election questions asked in the Oct. 25 Virginia Notebook after Democrats won the four seats needed to reclaim control of the state Senate and also make inroads in the House of Delegates.

Q Can a Republican still win inside the Beltway?

A Maybe. With Democrat Margaret G. Vanderhye's victory over Republican David M. Hunt for the seat of retiring Del. Vincent F. Callahan Jr. (R-Fairfax), there will be no elected Republican state official next year representing an inside-the-Beltway district. Hunt lost by just 540 votes, however. In Alexandria, Del. David L. Englin (D) beat Republican challenger Mark S. Allen by nearly 2 to 1. Even so, I wouldn't write off a Republican candidate's chance to someday prevail in Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax.

Here are the winners in Tuesday's elections. There were so many that we decided to put the losers in a separate file.

Dick Saslaw -- The Senate minority leader from Fairfax succeeded in flipping control of the Senate for only the second time since Reconstruction. Saslaw worked hard to raise money to fund Democratic candidates. Starting in late summer, Saslaw was telling lobbyists and donors that the Democrats would retake the Senate, which convinced them they should give even more money. With his likely elevation to majority leader in January, Saslaw now becomes one of the most influential leaders in Richmond.

Joe Abbey- As campaign manager for Sen.-elect J. Chapman "Chap" Petersen (D-Fairfax), Abbey helped his candidate rack up a 10-point margin of victory over Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R-Fairfax). Even though Petersen was running in a Democratic-leaning district, Abbey had to go up against seasoned Devolites Davis strategists who pulled out all the stops to try to re-elect her.

More below

Losers in Tuesday's elections (see the winners in a separate posting):

Michael Bloomberg- New York's mayor decides to test his appeal outside of New York by endorsing Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R-Fairfax) because of her support for gun control. But it doesn't appear as if Bloomberg changed many minds. Even worse, Bloomberg had contemplated an independent bid for the White House next year on a platform that includes more gun control. But Devolites Davis' loss demonstrates the issue may not rank high in voters' minds, even in increasingly liberal Northern Virginia.

The Family Foundation- With the retirement of Sen. H. Russell Potts (R-Winchester) and several other moderates, the Family Foundation's leaders were hopeful that more of the agenda of social conservatives would make it out of the Senate next year. But with an incoming Democratic majority, they will likely find it's going to be just as hard as ever to get legislation out of the Education and Health Committee.

More below

Winners:
Mark Tate- All campaign finance fraud charges were dismissed against the former GOP Senate candidate from Loudoun County after the prosecutor said the case had been tainted by allegations of improprieties in the investigation.

Tim Kaine Two different polls came out during the past week showing Kaine's approval ratings remain strong, despite the summer-long controversy over abuser fees and illegal immigration. Kaine has also proved he's a prolific fundraiser. Kaine's political action committee, Moving Virginia Forward, has $1 million in the bank to spend in the campaign's final days. With three weeks to go until the election, Kaine is popular and rich. What more could a politician ask for?

Jim Gilmore: The former governor scores a big victory by convincing the Republican State Central Committee to hold a convention over a primary to select its nominee in next year's U.S. Senate race. Gilmore also appears hungry to get back into the game. He showed up at the central committee meeting and was personally lobbying members right up to the vote. His chief rival, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), was campaigning for his wife, Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis.

Winners and Losers for the week ending Oct. 5, 2007:

THIS WEEK'S WINNERS
Peter Pace: The recently retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff hasn't given any indication that he's interested in running for public office, but what Virginia Republican wouldn't want an editorial from the conservative National Review urging them to run for the U.S. Senate? In recent days, "draft Pace" websites have also been popping up. It feels eerily similar to the effort to lure U.S. Sen. James Webb (D), who like Pace is a Marine, into the 2006 Senate race against former Sen. George Allen.

This week's winners:
Rep. Thomas M. Davis III: Despite opposition from President Bush, Davis joins 44 other House Republicans in voting to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health care to low-income kids. Davis' vote could upset some conservatives who will help decide whether Davis or former Gov. James S. Gilmore III is the GOP nominee for Senate 2008. But Davis' vote shows how he is already thinking ahead to a general election match up against former governor Mark R. Warner (D).

Today marks the start of a regular feature of the Virginia Politics blog called "Winners and Losers."

It's pretty self-explanatory. In this breezy feature you will find the week's political winners and losers, reflecting the ups and downs of the Virginia political world.