Warner popular in heavily Republican Va.

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sun, Jul. 31, 2005

Warner popular in heavily Republican Va.

BOB LEWIS
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. - He's a Democrat who was elected in a heavily Republican state with a promise not to raise taxes - then went ahead and raised them. Even so, Gov. Mark R. Warner is golden and his lieutenant governor hopes their association will help carry him to victory in this year's gubernatorial race.

Warner, a potential 2008 presidential contender, has a statewide job approval rating of 74 percent, a new poll shows. The Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Inc. survey also found that 57 percent of its respondents actually approved of the $1.4 billion tax increase Warner threaded through the overwhelmingly Republican Legislature.

Virginia is the only state that denies its governors consecutive terms, and the race for Warner's successor pits Democratic Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine against Republican Jerry W. Kilgore, a former attorney general.

"If Kaine wins, it's going to be because people want to give Mark Warner a second term and they view electing Tim Kaine as the only way to do that," said Larry J. Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

However, the poll showed 38 percent favored Kaine to 37 percent for Kilgore. A margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points makes them about even, although the same poll nearly a year ago showed Kaine trailing Kilgore by 5 points. Russ Potts, a Republican state senator running as an independent, was the choice of 9 percent, apparently draining support from Kilgore.
(snip/...)

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/12271012.htm
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[Mr. Peanut]

1. Mark Warner someone "positive to talk about"

From the Mark Warner for President website—

A Record of Accomplishment:

Governor Mark Warner inherited a $6 billion budget shortfall but built an alliance with Republican Senate Finance Chairman John Chichester and a coalition of other Republicans to solve Virginia’s fiscal problems and protect its AAA Bond Rating. By 2004, Virginia’s red ink was erased.

Mark Warner could have taken the path many politicians take...balancing the budget on the backs of the poor and jeopardizing important issues like education, transportation, and health care. That did not happen.

Virginia realized $1.5 billion in new funding for education, the largest increase in history.  At the same time, 140,000 citizens no longer have to file taxes and other programs like Child Health Care and Transportation are receiving the attention they deserve.

Governor Warner’s colleagues at the National Governors Association expressed their confidence in his superb leadership skills by naming him Chairman in July 2004. Governing Magazine was so impressed with Mark Warner’s abilities and bipartisan style of governing, they named him and Republican Senate Finance Chairman John Chichester “Public Officials of the Year” in 2004.

http://www.draftmarkwarner.com/

[peacebird]

7. as a Democrat who lives in Virginia might I say Mark Warner

is a moderate Republican who ran on the democratic ticket.

He is basically spineless, which is why he can "work" with a republican legislature. He gives them what they want anyhow, so they say okay.

I truly fail to see anything worthwhile in the man, he is malleable enough to fit what ever contortion is required to get elected (which is a politician by nature i suppose). Well - he isn't bush, that's something to recommend him ... talk about damning with faint praise.

btw - I had hopes for him once - even worked on his campaign for Gov.

[Iowa]

11. Ah, just what I suspected...

My first thought was that a true Democrat could not in good conscience form an alliance with Republicans today. Thanks for the confirmation.

[LibDemAlways]

2. I hope for the sake of Virginia in 06 and

the USA in 08 that Warner runs against George Allen next year and sends the asshole back home to dust off the Confederate flag and noose he used to be so proud of that he displayed in his home and office.

I wrote to Warner today telling him all about Allen's infamy as a racist tagger back at Palos Verdes High in California where we were classmates, and urging him to remove this piece of pond scum from the Senate.

He'd have the support and gratitude of Dems nationwide.

[ruggerson]

3. I'd rather have him run for President in '08

[donheld]

4. This is breaking news because?

:shrug:

[davidinalameda]

5. if Kaine's stand on some of the issues is reflective of Warner

I'd sooner vote for a someone like Potts

[GOPBasher]

6. I hope he runs for senate.

We have a lot of good candidates for president, but we could really use another senate seat in Virginia.

[virginia mountainman]

8. Gun Control....

as a life long state resident.....

Warner was EASY to get votes for, He is a VERY pro-gun democrat!

Virginia loves pro-gun democrats! I honestly think that we will loose this seat in the next cycle, Kain has allot of anti-gun baggage, he used tax-payer dollars to rent a bus to take the rabidly anti-gun "Million Mom March" to Washington awhile back. Kain is running "ad after ad" all over the state talking about how pro-gun he is, and when the folks learn about his affiliation with the "MMM" he will loose by a large margin.

Actually their is a great opportunity right now in Virginia, as our repuke senator Warner, has royally pissed off the gun owners by his support of the "so called Assault Weapon" ban If we run a PRO-GUN democrat, we will win.

Gun Control is a make or break issue in Virginia, Just ask Mary Sue Terry about it. If you DON'T support gun owner rights, you CANNOT get any other part of your message out, because frankly, the people will not listen or care what you have to say about other issues.

People here CLEARLY prefer democrats to repukes, but ONLY if their pro-gun.

[GOPBasher]

9. I wouldn't mind that.

I'm personally for some gun control, but it's an issue of secondary importance to me. If we can win with a pro-gun Dem, I'm all for it.

[UTUSN]

10. He's Great, So Is NJ's MELENDEZ - We've Got a Lot of Dem Hope n/t