11.13.2005
Is this the man to put the Democrats back in the White House in 2008? (Guardian.co.uk)
Sunday November 13, 2005
The Observer
A company of redcoat drummer boys signals the entry of Mark Warner, his Excellency, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to Richmond's annual folk music festival. In this state, with its dense history, the drums echo defeat for the British forces, but not so for Warner, its popular outgoing governor.
Last week Warner emerged as a new darling of the Democratic party and the man some are saying has a chance of winning the presidency in 2008. Compared with other hopefuls in the race, such as Hillary Clinton, he is a virtual unknown, but there is a discernible political excitement that this former hi-tech venture capitalist is the Democratic party's dream: a southern governor who appeals to moderate southern Republicans.
The latest poll of Democrats shows that 41 per cent of party members presently back Hillary as their contender for the next election. John Edwards has 14 per cent of the support, John Kerry has 10 per cent, Senator Joe Biden has five per cent and Wesley Clark four (Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are the favoured candidates for the Republicans).
But such early polls rarely predict the future accurately, and the chatter in Washington is that the next presidential election could be an all-Virginia derby between Mark Warner, the governor, and John Warner, the state's powerful Republican senator, who was once married to Elizabeth Taylor.
Mark Warner himself is still guarded about his White House ambitions, but there is little doubt he will make a run for the nomination. The victory last week of his designated successor, Tim Kaine, was as much a blow to Bush (who campaigned for Kaine's rival) as to Hillary Clinton, who many feel can never swing Republican states to Democrat. Mostly, the Virginian result reveals what politics professor Merle Black calls the 'rather astonishing popularity of Mark Warner'.
(More ... The Observer | International | Is this the man to put the Democrats back in the White House in 2008?) ¶ 19:29
The Observer
A company of redcoat drummer boys signals the entry of Mark Warner, his Excellency, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to Richmond's annual folk music festival. In this state, with its dense history, the drums echo defeat for the British forces, but not so for Warner, its popular outgoing governor.
Last week Warner emerged as a new darling of the Democratic party and the man some are saying has a chance of winning the presidency in 2008. Compared with other hopefuls in the race, such as Hillary Clinton, he is a virtual unknown, but there is a discernible political excitement that this former hi-tech venture capitalist is the Democratic party's dream: a southern governor who appeals to moderate southern Republicans.
The latest poll of Democrats shows that 41 per cent of party members presently back Hillary as their contender for the next election. John Edwards has 14 per cent of the support, John Kerry has 10 per cent, Senator Joe Biden has five per cent and Wesley Clark four (Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are the favoured candidates for the Republicans).
But such early polls rarely predict the future accurately, and the chatter in Washington is that the next presidential election could be an all-Virginia derby between Mark Warner, the governor, and John Warner, the state's powerful Republican senator, who was once married to Elizabeth Taylor.
Mark Warner himself is still guarded about his White House ambitions, but there is little doubt he will make a run for the nomination. The victory last week of his designated successor, Tim Kaine, was as much a blow to Bush (who campaigned for Kaine's rival) as to Hillary Clinton, who many feel can never swing Republican states to Democrat. Mostly, the Virginian result reveals what politics professor Merle Black calls the 'rather astonishing popularity of Mark Warner'.
(More ... The Observer | International | Is this the man to put the Democrats back in the White House in 2008?) ¶ 19:29
