Fresh off of his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, former Virginia governor Mark Warner is spending the rest of his summer engaging in a much less glamorous task: braving the Virginia humidity in search of a new job.
Once considered a strong potential candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination this year, Warner is currently campaigning for a Senate seat left vacant by the retirement of five-term senator John Warner (no relation). On September 4, Gov. Warner made a campaign stop at a restaurant in Surry County, a rural community of 7,000 near Jamestown, Virginia. The candidate spoke for about 15 minutes on issues ranging from energy independence to health coverage to tax policy. His campaigning style conjures images of a younger Bill Clinton—intelligent and quick on his feet, while comfortable speaking in the vernacular of the everyday voter.
During the question-and-answer session following Warner’s speech, one attendee broached a sensitive topic for the area’s residents: the potential construction of a practice landing field for navy pilots in the area. Many voters in the county fear the increased noise levels that the field would bring to the largely rural region. Warner noted that he would support such a project “if the Navy can make its case,” even supporting condemnation of private property as a last resort if necessary. While the audience did not press Warner on the issue, it is likely to be a topic of heated debate between now and the November election. (For the record, both Warner and his opponent are open to the possibility of constructing the landing field on Virginia soil.)
Noticeably absent in Warner’s remarks were attacks on the Republican Party establishment (save the occasional jab at his Republican opponent), which would have been an easy way to score political points in front of an audience largely comprised of life-long Democratic Party loyalists. He stayed on the message of his convention speech, advocating for bipartisan solutions to the present economic malaise. His consensus-based approach is particularly striking, given his history as a party insider. (Warner is a former chair of the Virginia Democratic Party.) Fortunately for Warner, he can afford to take the high road, as he is polling 27 points ahead of the Republican candidate, former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore.
-Welton Blount, Assistant Managing Editor