More Signs of a John Warner Senate Departure

SEPTEMBER IS WHEN a big announcement is expected from Sen. John Warner, the senior statesman from Virginia. Most political observers expect the Republican to step aside in 2008, opening the door to what is expected to be a very competitive race in the commonwealth, where voting patterns as of late have been leaning Democratic, especially in the all-important Washington suburbs.

While Warner hasn't given any verbal hints as to what his future might be, his lackluster fundraising has been one sign he isn't going to seek re-election.

And as the Shad Plank, the Virginia politics blog of the Newport News Daily Press, notes, there's another sign: the departure of many of Warner's trusted Capitol Hill aides to the private sector and elsewhere. And that "exodus ... is likely to trigger renewed speculation over his political plans."

If Warner steps aside, the commonwealth's popular former governor, Mark Warner, is likely to throw his hat into the ring on the Democratic side and is the party's top hope. (The senator and former governor are not related.) On the Republican side, Rep. Tom Davis of Fairfax County has already begun assembling a campaign operation anticipating John Warner's departure. But Davis could face a feisty challenge from the state's former conservative Gov. Jim Gilmore.

» "The Exodus From John Warner's Office Continues" [Shad Plank/Daily Press]
EARLIER:
» "Sen. Warner Not Raising Much Re-Election Cash" [Free Ride/Express]
» "Davis Builds Up ’08 Infrastructure" [Roll Call, subscription req'd]
» "Gilmore's Out; '08 Races in Va. Shaping Up" [Free Ride/Express]

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