Not terribly surprising, but still disappointing for us Virginia Democrats.
Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) plans to announce Tuesday that he will not challenge Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) next year, leaving the popular Democrat free to explore a presidential bid, several close associates said Monday.
Warner, who leaves office in January, will announce his decision on his monthly radio show on WTOP Tuesday morning, said Democratic Party Chairman C. Richard Cranwell, a close Warner confidant.
A senior political aide, who declined to be identified because Warner wants to make his own announcement, said, "He is not going to run. He is going to announce it tomorrow."
Mark Warner was our best chance to reclaim the 2006 Senate seat, as far as I could tell. George Allen is insanely popular in this state, for reasons that escape me.
The good news though? This means Mark Warner is probably going to focus full time on his Presidential ambitions for the next 3 years.
crossposted at my blog