It's official: Richard Cranwell, the former Democratic majority leader in the Virginia House of Delegates, will replace Kerry Donley as chairman of the state Democratic Party. Donley, the former mayor of Alexandria, served for less than two years and is leaving to become athletic director at T.C. Williams High School, home of the Titans of movie fame ("Remember the Titans").During Donley's short tenure in office, Virginia Democrats more than held their own, after gaining three seats in the House of Delegates in 2003. One of Donley's main goals, "recruiting strong Democratic candidates for future elections who can win," showed some signs of success, as Paula Miller won a special election to the House of Delegates from the 87th District in December 2004.
This year, we have Greg Werkheiser taking on right-winger Dave "obsessed with sodomy" Albo in the 42nd District. After the June 14 primary elections, we may see others emerge, depending upon the results of intra-party primaries, particularly in the 45th district.
Cranwell, from Vinton in southwest Virginia, was strongly encouraged by Gov. Mark Warner and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine to take the Democratic chairman job, right in the middle of this year's intense campaign season. A tough assignment, no doubt. Fortunately, though, Cranwell is "tanned, rested and ready," so to speak, bringing "instant credibility and instant name recognition, from the grass roots up to the talking heads and the media." Outgoing chairman Donley lavishes Cranwell with praise, extolling "Dick's leadership, commitment and his abilities as an orator" and concluding, "I cannot think of a better person to lead our party."
I'd have to agree with Donley on that one. In my opinion, Cranwell is an excellent choice to lead the Virginia Democrats at this point in time. A master strategist from his 30 years in the House, Cranwell is one of the sharpest tools in anyone's shed, no doubt. In standing up to Republican disasters...er, governors George Allen and Jim Gilmore, Cranwell was the "tart-tongued...face and voice of his party." Just as importantly, Cranwell hails from a critical part of the state in this election, with both Jerry and Terry Kilgore of Gate City on the ballot.
In my opinion, Cranwell's main challenge is to continue building the Democrats' grassroots capability, its technological and web capabilities, and its "farm team" of strong, electable young candidates. This November will be a major test, as the Democrats certainly have a shot at picking up seats in the House of Delegates. Not the least of these is Terry Kilgore's 1st District seat, where Rex McCarty has an excellent shot of knocking off Jerry's twin brother. The Bruce Roemmelt vs. Bob Marshall contest in the 13th District (Prince William County) is another key race to watch this year.
All in all, the choice of Richard Cranwell is a highly promising one, as we sail into important elections with a new "captain" at the helm of the Democratic ship.