Oh, the email also refers to "two significant endorsements of his candidacy for the U. S. Senate."
Update: From the Washington Post:
Fairfax County Republican Vincent F. Callahan Jr., former chairman of the Virginia House Appropriations Committee and onetime ally of James S. Gilmore III, said he would announce Monday that he is supporting Democrat Mark R. Warner in the state's U.S. Senate race.Callahan said Gilmore, Warner's GOP opponent, misled legislators and the public about the state's finances and the cost of his signature effort to eliminate the car tax when he was governor from 1998 to 2002.
Yes, we all know that Jim Gilmore almost destroyed the state during his irresponsible, incompetent term as governor. But now you don't just have to take our word for it, you can take the word of a top Virginia Republican and former Gilmore ally. Thank you Vince Callahan.
REPUBLICAN FORMER BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN
ENDORSE GOVERNOR WARNER'S SENATE BID
~ Del. Callahan, Sen. Chichester highlight Warner's fiscal management ~ALEXANDRIA - Former Governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Mark R. Warner announced key endorsements today from both of the Republican chairmen of the General Assembly's powerful budget committees during his term as Virginia Governor from 2002 to 2006. Delegate Vincent F. Callahan Jr. and Senator John H. Chichester both endorsed Governor Warner's bipartisan approach to working with the General Assembly to responsibly address budget shortfalls that ultimately reached $6 billion.
"A Virginia governor has the privilege of four short years of service as the state's chief executive," former Governor Warner said. "Over time, the consistently hard work is done year after year by state lawmakers such as Delegate Callahan and Senator Chichester. Our administration worked in partnership with these two leaders, and I am proud of the honest and responsible way we worked together to keep Virginia moving forward. This is the same approach I intend to take if I have the privilege of serving in the U.S Senate."
Delegate Callahan, of Fairfax, was elected to the House of Delegates in 1967. Callahan became chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in 1998, and retired earlier this year after 40 years of legislative service. Callahan served in the Virginia House during the administrations of eleven Virginia governors.
"Our system of checks and balances creates a healthy 'tension' between the executive and legislative branches of government, especially when it comes to the budget," former Delegate Callahan said. "As the chair of the Appropriations Committee, I appreciated Governor Warner's consistent efforts to work in a bipartisan and cooperative way. We were able to work together to preserve the Commonwealth's well-deserved reputation for responsible and conservative fiscal management."
Senator Chichester, of Stafford County, served as the Virginia Senate president and chairman of its budget-writing Finance Committee until his retirement earlier this year after 30 years in the legislature. Chichester served in the Virginia Senate during the administrations of nine Virginia governors.
"I respect the honest and results-oriented focus Mark Warner brought to Virginia's budget challenges, and I am proud of the work that Governor Warner and the Senate Finance Committee performed together during a very difficult time," former Senator Chichester said. "Mark was a 'hands-on' executive, and his door was always open as we worked in a bipartisan way to restore integrity to our budget process."
In 2005, Governing magazine designated Virginia as the nation's "best managed state," and Forbes.com named Virginia the "best state for business" in 2006 and 2007. TIME Magazine named Governor Warner one of "America's Five Best Governors" in 2005.
Delegate Callahan and Senator Chichester also worked cooperatively with the Warner Administration to reform the Virginia Department of Transportation and other key agencies, and led efforts to restructure the Commonwealth's relationship with leading public colleges and universities.
Delegate Callahan and Senator Chichester also supported significant improvements launched by Governor Warner to make Virginia's budget planning process more transparent and inclusive, incorporating changes that now allow budget planners to look beyond a traditional two-year time-frame to make smarter decisions on how to responsibly use taxpayer dollars.
"I appreciate the public endorsement of these two gentlemen, and the broad support our campaign has received from other Republicans and Independents across Virginia," former Governor Warner said. "This is a validation of the common-sense focus on results we worked hard to institute in state government, and the bipartisan approach I will take to Washington."
I'm drooling at the thought. It could really happen, especially since John is retiring from public life and doesn't have to give a rat's ass what any of the GOP leadership thinks of such a move.
Callahan and Chichester note they are both supporting McCain. But one Virginia McCain supporter -- retiring Sen. John W. Warner (R) -- appears to be sticking with Gilmore this year. John Warner announced Friday that he has donated $2,000 to Gilmore's campaign, although he has yet to formally endorse him.