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Tuesday, January 03, 2006

VA-Sen: Draft James Webb

Posted by DavidNYC

Right now, there are no Dem candidates running against Republican George Allen in this year's VA senate race. Even if Mark Warner were to run (and he won't), it would be a seriously uphill battle - which explains our recruitment difficulties. But there's one possible name in the mix who I'm holding out hope for: former Secretary of the Navy James Webb. And since you're nobody until somebody tries to draft you, the obligatory Draft James Webb website has sprung into existence.

As you may know, Webb was Navy Secretary under Reagan. Switching from working in a Republican administration to running as a Democratic senate candidate is a compelling storyline. It's something the media might latch on to. As much as we hate him, Zell Miller got a lot of play in 2004 because he switched sides. I also think Webb's background would play well in Virginia, with its numerous military bases (plus the Pentagon) - he's a decorated veteran and the first Annapolis grad to become SecNavy. He's also been a cogent critic of the war in Iraq.

An early poll by Rasmussen puts Allen way ahead. Raising Kaine thinks that lobbyist Harris Miller will jump into the race, but his name was not among those polled by Rasmussen. Like I say, I have no illusions about how tough this race would be. But I think Webb's willingness to speak his mind and buck his original party roots could make this one interesting.

Posted at 01:48 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Virginia | Technorati

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» Webb on the Web from Draft James Webb | as the next Senator from Virginia
There are several discussions going on elsewhere reagrding a Webb candidacy. DavidNYC at the Swing State Project has this to say: "Right now, there are no Dem candidates running against Republican George Allen in this year's VA senate race. Even if Mark [Read More]

Tracked on January 3, 2006 09:05 PM

Comments

I've been in contact with James Webb about running in Virginia. He asked me to move there when I become of voting age. I hope he goes through with it.

Posted by: pbcliberaldem at January 3, 2006 07:15 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

He's a good author, a solid Democrat, and he would make a great candidate. He could certainly knock off George "The California Cowboy" Allen. We need quality candidates if we are to take back this government from the far right, and James Webb is just the kind of Democrat who can win in Virginia. It pains my heart to see my beautiful state represented by an asshat like Allen...PLEASE RUN JAMES!

Posted by: AlecBGreen at January 3, 2006 09:48 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

Alec... I completely agree. What makes Allen worse is that he lived in my hometown before he was elected. Imagine a right winger like Allen coming out of the liberal bastion of Charlottesville. Actually he's from Albemarle County but we are no longer a GOP strong hold (more of a lean to likely Democratic county). In my opinion Webb could win. If all goes well I think he would be able to win the same areas that Kaine did. I even think he would expand his margin in the Tidewater region b.c of his strong military background.

Posted by: UVA08 at January 3, 2006 11:57 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

Don't know if you heard about this yet, but it sounds like the political support in Virginia is crystallizing around Harris Miller. Check the story here.

There's no polling yet that I can find, but any Virginians know anything about Miller? All I know is that what little I've seen of George Allen makes me retch, so any news of an honest-to-God challenger is wonderful.

Posted by: robitude at January 4, 2006 11:17 AM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

Did a little research, and the consensus seems to be that while Miller would be a self-financing candidate who would make a decent placeholder candidate, he's also Mr. Outsourcing and is more an opportunist than a Democrat. Doesn't seem like anyone has anything good to say about the guy.

Posted by: robitude at January 4, 2006 11:31 AM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

I am immediately cold on Harris and I know little else about him except that he is a Diebold stooge and has been quoted as saying that he "oppose(s) the idea of a voter-verified paper trail." He needs say no more and I am looking for another candidate.
WE need to fix our elecion systems so they can be transparent, dependable, and true.

Posted by: thegools at January 17, 2006 12:24 AM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment