DNC official: Kaine (likely) to seek Senate seat

[jenmito]

Kaine says 'likely' to seek Webb's Va. Senate seat

Updated: Monday, 14 Mar 2011, 1:04 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 14 Mar 2011, 12:59 PM CDT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A senior Democratic spokesman says Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine told a college government class he's likely to run for a U.S. Senate seat next year.

DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse made the announcement on Twitter on Monday.

It's the most definitive statement yet from the former Virginia governor that he will try to hold retiring Sen. Jim Webb's seat for the Democrats in next year's elections.

http://www.kxan.com/dpps/elections/us_politics/dnc-official-kaine-to-seek-senate-seat-nt11-jpe_3746980

[Sky Masterson]

1. I hope he hires someone to run his campaign

Because he sucks at running them . :)

[RBInMaine]

4. He "sucked " so much he won for Gov. in VA and was very popular. How hard did you WORK in the last

campaign?

[Sky Masterson]

5. I want him to succeed. Trust me on that.

I just hope he has a better marketing team than the one who came up with this.

[ClarkUSA]

21. I like the logo. It's clean, modern, and hip.

[karynnj]

14. His own campaign in 2005 was very highly praised

Do you think Michael Steel was a genius? The Republicans won back the House and nearly won the Senate - where before the election we had extremely large margins.

[vroomvroom]

2. Yes because we need more wimps in the Senate. nt

[jenmito]

3. He's our best hope for beating "Macaca Man." n/t

[Chan790]

9. I do not think an unreconciled racist like George Allen has any real chance of willing that seat.

VA does not look like people outside the mid-Atlantic think VA looks. It's not all that Southern anymore in No.VA or down the coast. That's where the majority of the population lives.

No. VA is growing population-wise while the rest of the state is shrinking. NoVA is purplish-blue, it's the sort of place where any hawkish Democrat would be a hard frontrunner, doubly-so if they had a military background. The home base of not just the military but also private-sector intel, security and defense industry, home of most of the DoD/DARPA/RAND/private-sector "skunkworks" type R&D.

Coastal VA, much like coastal NC, is the home to a lot of educated northern transplants who would never vote for a good ole' boy bigot like George Allen or any bible-belter. What GOPers there are, are more libertarian than theocon with a dash of tea-party tossed in. Beyond that, it's Navy central and beach bums.

The ideal Democrat to lockhold that seat looks a lot more like Wes Clark than Tim Kaine, alas Clark's not a Virginian. If we had a candidate like that, Allen would be dropping-out to spend time with the grandkids. He's an asshole, not a moron...he knows how to read political tea leaves.

[jenmito]

11. I hope you're right...

but we'll see. Never underestimate the power of racists-especially when teabaggers seem to be so popular. I bet if George Allen ran in '10 he would've won easily, but now they're not as popular as they were back then. And the people in the media said Kaine is our best hope against him.

[Chan790]

12. There is an issue to exploit here.

The VA AG and the Governor...do not like each other and it's obvious to anybody paying attention.

Bob O'Donnell's your typical VA "new republican", a Gingrichite trying to position himself as "moderate" in the new VA. The AG (Ken Cuchinelli, an extremist even among teabaggers) wants his job and constantly takes backhanded swipes at the "moderation" of the governor in his efforts to position himself as a populist champion of the right-wing of the right-wing.

Both dream of bigger jobs and the road to it for either of them runs square down the center of the other's back. What Allen (and any other GOPer with half a brain) has done is simply stay out of the way and not take a side. Once he has to take a position on issues, he's going to have to take a side. The other will then treat him like an enemy. The sooner we start pushing him to take positions on issues, the sooner he makes an enemy. Do it too soon and that fight might be over before the race gets hot. Time it right and his candidacy will be dead in the inter-nicene crossfire before primary day ends.

[jenmito]

15. THAT sounds good...

very interesting. I hope your scenario plays out.

[AtomicKitten]

6. If he's the best hope of keeping the seat blue, I'm all for it.

[Dawson Leery]

7. I cannot complain in light of Mr. "Konfederate Makaka" running again.

George Allen cannot be allowed back into the senate. Tim Kaine is a recent and popular governor.
Virginia is not a traditional blue state, so Tim will have to do.

[craigmatic]

8. Good because he's not very good at his current job anyway.

I hope he wins so he'll only have to worry about Virginia. Now maybe Howard Dean could get his old job back.

[mstinamotorcity]

10. Not high on the

list for support.

[karynnj]

13. Great news - early reports said he polled better than Webb

[jenmito]

16. VERY good! I really hope he runs. n/t

[DCBob]

17. So are the "purists" going to support this guy?

I think he has a good chance to win... if "all" the Dems show up to vote.

[jenmito]

18. Hopefully they learned from the '10 elections. n/t

[ClarkUSA]

19. Good. He's the only VA Dem who can beat Macaca Man.

[jenmito]

20. The media agrees with you-at least the pundits I heard. n/t

[Arkana]

22. He's not the ideal candidate, but he can win in Virginia

and if you're a responsible Democrat, you'll support him if he's the nominee.

(NOTE: I PUT THE DISCLAIMER "IF HE IS THE NOMINEE".)

[jenmito]

23. It would also be a chance to get a better DNC leader. n/t

[underpants]

24. Wilder is running point on the possibility of Bobby Scott running

I think Kaine is a better choice. He has the "Warner and I fixed the problems you and Gilmore created" line.