Don is the kind of leader we need for this state right now.  He was the Finance Chairman for Howard Dean for President and serves as Warner's Finance Chair as well.  He can raise the money, is a great speaker and will have the full support of MRW and Kaine.  Sure he supported Miller in the 06 primary but he did help raise 100s of thousands of dollars for the state party and the DSCC to help Webb's effort after the primary.

I wouldn't vote for that ass if you held my head to the fire and told me I had two choices: Dem or Death.  If Beyer is the Dem nominee, I sure hope Warner runs again, or maybe Tom Davis, so I can vote for the GOP candidate with a clear conscience.

I don't have the same animus towards Beyer--I would support him if he was the party nominee.  However, I know of others who have a similar attitude to DanG's.  If it was Beyer vs. Davis, Davis would win out--especially with independents.

Why has thou forsaken us Mark Warner, come back and save us all, I'm not really inspired by anyone on that list right now.

(and thanks for not putting Harris Miller on that poll, can we kick him out of the party yet?)

I didn't want him as Senator against Webb, but I do respect him as a fighter.

sorry it didn't come through the tubes.

Warner has done fantastic things for our state, let's hope he's VP or Senate in '08.

First off, Mark Warner hasn't said he isn't running in 2008 - but a poll including Warner is pointless. He's be the overwhelming winner.

Second, Warner is doing a lot for Virginia Democrats, including helping get Kaine and Webb elected. Even outside of elected office and campaigns, he hasn't foresaken anybody.

But our very own Richmond Democrat made a compelling case for Governor Kaine to be a Senator one day. Unlike Warner, Kaine enjoys the wonkish stuff a little more and would make a fine Senate candidate one day.

I know little of some of the candidates and think that some of the others are either not suitable or not electable at this time.  For instance, I really like Brian Moran, but his lack of higher office beyond the General Assembly would hamper a Senate run.  He would make a better gubernatorial candidate at this time.

Beyer can be a divisive influence and he really hasn't been in the game for a while now.

Leslie Byrne's lost twice.  Good candidate, but the public doesn't seem to be buying what she's selling.  It's no reflection on her, but if you keep losing it's hard to get people to back you as a potential winner.

Deeds has practically zero name recognition compared to others on the list.  He's a good candidate also, but trying to run him statewide for a Senate seat when he was unable to secure a statewide seat does not bode well for him.  I don't think he's got enough heft to counter the selling power of someone like Tom Davis. 

Jim Moran's got a lot of baggage.  He does very well for his district, but would not be electable on a state wide scale IMHO.  There's too much of the Boston Irish pol about him to appeal to the south, and he's run into problems with some minority voters.

Kaine's proven he can get votes other parts of the state beside NoVa.  He's not as marketable as Mark Warner, but if Mark's out then I think Kaine's the best bet.  He would definitely energize the women's vote.  Moreover, he's a nice complement to Webb with his immense interest in things domestic.  Webb can be the foreign policy/armed services/veterans guy and Kaine would probably love to be the appropriations(if they ever allow a freshman senator in)/ways and means/boring economic type committees guy.  Sorry, my eyes were glazing over for a moment. 

Just how can anyone say Creigh does not have name recognition. He lost the state wide race by 323 votes yet he got more votes then Kilgore and Bryne. Only got around 9,000 less then Bolling. All these people had far more name recognition then Creigh in 2005, yet he held his own  and darn near beat McDonnell. I am sorry catzmaw but you either do not know what you are talking about or you have Republican leaning thoughts.
Creigh got more name recognition from the recount then any other person in the state and will hold his own in any race. Now when you put John Warner in the race that is a different story. The only politican in this state that could beat John is Mark and any other talk is by people who have no ideal what they are talking about.
Macaca will not happen with John Warner, he is too savey and probably would not even say anything till 2 weeks before the election, maybe 3 weeks.
Age and no sign of getting back control of the Arms Service committee just may be enough for him to retire. Also Jim Webb may play a part if he shows Warner that he will take care of VA's military.

Maybe it was just me not paying much attention at the time.

I make mistakes as well. Like saying Arnold would take on the corporations. Duh, was I brain dead.

Isn't the Kaine talk sort of silly?  I can't imagine Kaine would leave the role of governor after just three years is office, before his term is even up?  Unfortunately, Virginia's election cycle hurts us here, because if his term ended one year earlier, he'd be a natural candidate.

call me chronologically challenged.

Same as before on this one.

As far as Brian Moran is goes, I would support him enthusiastically.  However, I'm concerned about his political viability. 

The knee-jerk GOP strategy is to slap the "NoVA lib(eral)" label on Northern Viriginia based Democrats in statewide races.  If the label sticks, the GOP wins (Byrne, Beyer).  If it doesn't, they usually lose (Mark Warner, Jim Webb).

I just don't see how Moran shakes the labelling.

On the flipside, I find it interesting that GOP candidates, like Bob McDonnell, are now playing up their "NoVA roots".  They have the exact opposite problem.

would easily carry SW VA in addition to the usual Dem strongholds like NOVA and Richmond.  He's one of the best people in the House right now and would make a great junior Senator alongside Webb.  Almost an ideal candidate.

The flip side is if he is going to run for Senate, the 9th House seat will be up for grabs, and that seat staying Dem is a dicey proposition.

I really admire Bobby Scott, but he would be feared as too liberal, I think.  He could surely get out the African-American vote, tho.  I think this will very likely come down to who can beat George Allen.  (If J. Warner runs again, Dems, except for M. Warner, can forget it.)  I know M. Warner could--don't know about any of the others.  But I kind of hope Mark Warner is either VP or Governor again.  Or maybe Sec. of Commerce in a Dem admin for a year, then Governor again.

He'll get lambasted for his comments about hating being in the slow legislative body.  And, assuming he meant such comments, he would probably prefer to run for Gov. in '09.  His alleged successes as Gov translate better - he could actually run on that record (which was seen as less relevant in a Senate race).  That would give him a better platform to run for Pres. in 2012 or 2016 (which is something he's probably still entertaining his mind).

He had his chance, he screwed it up.  I can't see any possible way the party would nominate him again.  But the VA GOP has done some done things before...so who knows.  Allen should be toast, at least for 08.  He shouldn't even consider it.

Maybe Allen will move close to his buddy Dick and run in CO.
Makes me feel good for VA, but sorry for CO.

Presumably McDonnell runs as Gov. in '09.  I would think an Allen run would drive a wedge through the party.  I also think McDonnell beats him in the GOP primary.  A loss in the GOP primary would be a final nail in Allen's political coffin.

His best "road to redemption" is to stay out of the public eye for the better part of the next several years.  Maybe he runs a non-profit that benefits the disadvantaged (that, of course, would be an even bigger long shot)--so the news about him in the press is favorable.  The 5 year plan with some image re-engineering is Allen's best shot. 

In the near term George Allen strikes me as a non-starter.

Jim Webb wasn't on very many people's radar.  How about John Grisham?  He actually has some political experience.

Here's a snippet from Grisham's Wikipedia bio:

***In 1977, Grisham received a B.Sc. degree in accounting from Mississippi State University. While studying at MSU, the author began keeping a journal, a practice that would later assist in his creative endeavors. *** He earned his J.D. degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981. During law school, Grisham switched interests from tax law to criminal and general civil litigation. Upon graduation he entered a small-town general law practice for nearly a decade in Southaven, MS where he focused on criminal law and civil law representing a broad spectrum of clients. As a young attorney, he spent much of his time in court proceedings and preparing for court the following morning.

In 1983, he was elected as a Democrat to the Mississippi House of Representatives, where he served until 1990. During his time as a legislator, he continued his private law practice in Southaven.

***
Publishers Weekly declared Grisham "the bestselling novelist of the 90s," selling a total of 60,742,288 copies. ***
Grisham returned briefly to the courtroom in 1996 after a five-year hiatus. He was honoring a commitment he made before he retired from law; he represented the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jury award of $683,500—the biggest verdict of his career.

***Grisham's lifelong passion for baseball is evident in his novel A Painted House and in his support of Little League activities in both Oxford, Mississippi and Charlottesville, Virginia. ***He has also performed mission service for his church, notably in Brazil.

Grisham is also well known within the literary community for his efforts to support the continuing literary tradition of his native South. Grisham has endowed scholarships and writer's residencies in the University of Mississippi's English Department and Graduate Creative Writing Program, and was the founding publisher of the Oxford American, a 'slick' magazine devoted to literary writing and famous for its annual music issue, copies of which include a compilation CD featuring contemporary and classic Southern musicians in genres ranging from blues and gospel to country-western and alternative rock.

***
Grisham describes himself as a "moderate Baptist." He lives with his wife, Renée, (née Jones) and their two children, Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm outside Oxford and a plantation near Charlottesville.

Novelist -- like Webb
Missionary --  like Kaine
Lawyer
Politician
Southern roots and lover of southern heritage
Baseball fan (and former player) -- as American as apple pie
He's only 51
He probably has some of his own money to spend on a campaign

No doubt, he would be a formidable candidate and could beat whoever the Republicans might put up.

But, I doubt whether he wants the aggravation and the smears that have now become part of Virginia politics. He has a good life and contributes generously to the public good, as it is. If anybody thinks they could recruit/draft Mr. Grisham, have at it, but I don't think he's biting.

Actually that's a great find.  I wouldn't have given Grisham any consideration initially, but your post makes a great deal of sense. 

It's worth pointing out that John and Renee Grisham started the Rebuild the Coast Fund Organization to provide Hurricane Katrina relief. They started the organization with $5,000,000 of their own money, raised a total of $8,800,000 and distributed all of the funds to storm victims.

The Grishams have also been major benefactors (providing both time and funding) to the Legal Aid Justice Center, an organization that offers civil legal services to low-income families throughout Central Virginia and to low wage immigrant workers statewide, while also engaging in systematic legal advocacy for all low-income Virginians.

John Grisham has a history of leadership to improve the lives of people. We should be so lucky as to have him serve as U.S. Senator from Virginia. Webb and Grisham? That'd be like Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.

I'm sold.  Let's get Grisham.

Hopefully though we can do better than Manny and Ortiz have done.  Let's say Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen--that was a combination that was unstoppable.

in being a Virginia politician as opposed to a Mississippi politician?  One thing's for sure, he's a very competent and articulate litigator.  The type of stuff that's so difficult for Webb -- the up close and personal gladhanding and interaction with strangers -- would likely come easily to Grisham. 

I'd be shocked out of my skull if he ever did this.