Virginia GOP dean John Warner endorses Democrats for Congress

[brooklynite]

Source: NBC News

WASHINGTON — Former Virginia GOP Sen. John Warner tells NBC News he is endorsing several Democrats for Congress in 2018, including Abigail Spanberger, who is challenging GOP Rep. Dave Brat in Virginia’s seventh congressional district.

Now is the time to rise above politics, Warner, a dean of the Virginia Republican Party, told NBC News.

"It goes beyond politics now. I’m a Republican, I’ll finish a Republican as I cruise through my 91st year. But you’ve got to put the nation’s interests and the state’s interests ahead of politics," Warner told NBC in a phone interview.

Last year, Warner, a 91-year-old lifelong Republican, endorsed Republican Ed Gillespie in Virginia governor’s race after endorsing Democrat Hillary Clinton for president over Trump in 2016.

This year, Warner is endorsing Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in his race against GOP nominee Corey Stewart. Warner is also endorsing Leslie Cockburn, a Democrat and former "60 Minutes" producer and investigative journalist running in Virginia’s fifth district. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report ranks that seat as "lean Republican" and the seventh as a "toss up."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/card/virginia-gop-dean-john-warner-endorses-democrats-congress-n930381?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_np

[karynnj]

1. Senator Warner, as a sitting Senator, endorsed Senator Robb over Oliver North

I met a guy at a Democratic event, who had started his political involvement as a young staffer for Warner. Although he became a Democrat -- in fact a very liberal one, he had huge respect for Warner because of things like that Robb endorsement.

He also told us that as a 21 year old, not understanding what questions one should not ask, asked why he never considered a run for the Presidency. His answer was his life had been "colorful". He mentioned that he had done "alright", having married the richest woman in the country (his first wife's maiden name was Mellon), the most beautiful woman (Elizabeth Taylor) and was then dating the smartest woman in the country (he sometimes dated Barbara Walters).