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DLC posterboy Mark Warner drops out of 2008 Presidential race
Sources: Warner Won't Run for Presidency in '08
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 12, 2006; 10:08 AM
RICHMOND, Oct. 12 -- Former Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) is expected to announce later this morning that he will not seek the presidency in 2008, according to two Virginia Democratic sources with direct knowledge of the governor's intentions.
Warner, who has been actively exploring a presidential bid for months, has reportedly been telling associates for several weeks that he had not yet decided to run, according to Democratic sources who said Warner was concerned about the impact on his wife and three teenage daughters.
Politicians often are coy about their intentions before an official announcement, but friends of the former governor's said today that his expressions of doubt seemed more sincere than most.
"He would have brought the successes we have achieved in Virginia to the nation," said Alexandria Del. Brian J. Moran (D), a Warner friend. "This is a very personal decision. I'm sure he's making it in the best interests of his family."
A decision to abandon a presidential run could position Warner to be a vice presidential pick for the eventual Democratic nominee. Or it could allow him to seek Virginia Republican John Warner's U.S. Senate seat if Warner retires in 2008.
The ex-governor could also run for his old job again. Virginia law does not allow sitting governors to run for reelection, but does allow them to seek the office again after a four-year hiatus. Warner, who left office with record approval ratings, has expressed repeatedly that he might want the job back someday.
Warner's year-long dalliance with a run for the presidency has had its ups and downs.
A former high-tech entrepreneur, Warner has been highly successful at fundraising, topping most of the other Democratic hopefuls except New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. That fundraising ability helped propel him to the top of many lists of White House contenders in 2008.
His repeated trips to Iowa and New Hampshire and other early primary states were largely a success, as voters there greeted him with interest. He had been scheduled to travel to Des Moines again today.
But there have been difficulties as well. A New York Times magazine profile put a bizarre picture of him on the cover, prompting snickers. And national polls have consistently listed him as the choice of only one or two percent of the population, indicating how far he would have to go to become a household name.
But the biggest challenge, his advisers have said, would be selling his moderate, bipartisan message to a Democratic primary audience, especially at a time when the party is hungry for partisan success.
The biggest obstacle, according to people advising him, has always been Clinton, who is cruising to reelection and may decide in the next couple of months whether to seek the job her husband held for eight years.
People who know Warner say his wife and daughters have never been eager to see him run for the presidency. His wife, Lisa Collis, was not a prominent Virginia First Lady and often remarked to people close to her that she did not like the political limelight.
Warner went to Italy for a family vacation this summer, reportedly to have the final decision-making conversation with them. Several people close to him have said that conversation did not take place.
Warner is scheduled to make the announcement in Richmond, at the Jefferson Hotel Thursday morning.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 12, 2006; 10:08 AM
RICHMOND, Oct. 12 -- Former Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) is expected to announce later this morning that he will not seek the presidency in 2008, according to two Virginia Democratic sources with direct knowledge of the governor's intentions.
Warner, who has been actively exploring a presidential bid for months, has reportedly been telling associates for several weeks that he had not yet decided to run, according to Democratic sources who said Warner was concerned about the impact on his wife and three teenage daughters.
Politicians often are coy about their intentions before an official announcement, but friends of the former governor's said today that his expressions of doubt seemed more sincere than most.
"He would have brought the successes we have achieved in Virginia to the nation," said Alexandria Del. Brian J. Moran (D), a Warner friend. "This is a very personal decision. I'm sure he's making it in the best interests of his family."
A decision to abandon a presidential run could position Warner to be a vice presidential pick for the eventual Democratic nominee. Or it could allow him to seek Virginia Republican John Warner's U.S. Senate seat if Warner retires in 2008.
The ex-governor could also run for his old job again. Virginia law does not allow sitting governors to run for reelection, but does allow them to seek the office again after a four-year hiatus. Warner, who left office with record approval ratings, has expressed repeatedly that he might want the job back someday.
Warner's year-long dalliance with a run for the presidency has had its ups and downs.
A former high-tech entrepreneur, Warner has been highly successful at fundraising, topping most of the other Democratic hopefuls except New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. That fundraising ability helped propel him to the top of many lists of White House contenders in 2008.
His repeated trips to Iowa and New Hampshire and other early primary states were largely a success, as voters there greeted him with interest. He had been scheduled to travel to Des Moines again today.
But there have been difficulties as well. A New York Times magazine profile put a bizarre picture of him on the cover, prompting snickers. And national polls have consistently listed him as the choice of only one or two percent of the population, indicating how far he would have to go to become a household name.
But the biggest challenge, his advisers have said, would be selling his moderate, bipartisan message to a Democratic primary audience, especially at a time when the party is hungry for partisan success.
The biggest obstacle, according to people advising him, has always been Clinton, who is cruising to reelection and may decide in the next couple of months whether to seek the job her husband held for eight years.
People who know Warner say his wife and daughters have never been eager to see him run for the presidency. His wife, Lisa Collis, was not a prominent Virginia First Lady and often remarked to people close to her that she did not like the political limelight.
Warner went to Italy for a family vacation this summer, reportedly to have the final decision-making conversation with them. Several people close to him have said that conversation did not take place.
Warner is scheduled to make the announcement in Richmond, at the Jefferson Hotel Thursday morning.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
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