Now that Mark Warner has announced his candidacy to become the second Democratic Senator from Virginia, it's time for the netroots to take the first giant step in propelling him to victory.
And that would be to help deliver Mark and his fellow Virginia Democrats a resounding victory in 2007.
This year -- in fact, about 55 days from now -- Virginia will be holding elections for every Senate and House of Delegates seat in the Commonwealth. And Virginia Democrats are starting to feel confident. But this will be a low turnout election, of course, so our candidates can use all the help they can get.
And so can Mark Warner.
It's time for the netroots nationwide to join with the Virginia netroots to make Virginia's 2007 elections a top priority. Join the new Netroots for Virginia 2007 initiative. More details on the flip.
This November, every seat in the Virginia General Assembly - 40 in the State Senate and 100 in the House of Delegates - is up for grabs. The GOP control both chambers, 23-17 in the Senate and 57-40-3 in the House of Delegates. And the right wing of the Virginia GOP just ousted a number of moderates this spring in the primaries, meaning that the GOP majority is poised to get even more shrill. (Exhibit A: Tricia "abolish public education" Stall).
But, we all know that Virginia is trending our way. The momentum from three consecutive state-wide wins (Warner, Kaine, Webb), a highly unpopular Republican bill to regressively fund transportation through excessive "abuser fees," and a slate of great Democrats verses wingnut Republicans are all factors that are giving us a shot at taking over the Senate and maybe even the House.
Why should you non-Virginians care? Well, Lowell Feld, founder of Raising Kaine and Jim Webb's netroots coordinator, penned a superb diary in March explaining why Virginia matters so much in 2007. Read the diary for his full six reasons, which I'll paraphrase here:
- Governor Kaine needs progressive allies, not wingnuts that block his initiatives at every turn.
- Virginia will go through the next round of Congressional redistricting in 2011, and a blue legislature will make sure that the emerging Democratic votes will have more representatives in Congress.
- Virginia is trending Democratic, and victory in 2007 will speed up the transformation.
- We've got some great Democrats hoping to end the political careers of some horrid Republicans.
- This is a new test for netroots activism, given the new partnership between state blogs like Raising Kaine and ActBlue.
- Virginia can be a bridge state for Democrats into the South.
That's a good list by itself, but let's add a seventh.
7. A Democratic victory in 2007 will give Mark Warner the momentum he needs heading into his 2008 Senate campaign.
Mark Warner is working hard right now for Virginia's Democratic candidates. He knows that capturing the Senate (and getting at least close in the House of Delegates) would be a sign of strength for the state party that would attract volunteers, fundraising, and media attention. And losses by the Republicans will demoralize its base and cripple their candidate coming out of the starting gate (especially if Tom Davis is the candidate and his wife -- State Sen. Jeannemarie Davis -- loses).
And, hopefully, this momentum will create some reverse coattails for our presidential candidate in Virginia.
So, do you want to get a jump on helping the top-of-the-top-tier Democratic Senate campaign? Join the Netroots for Virginia 2007 initiative by emailing rob@raisingkaine.com. We're looking for bloggers and diarists to keep these elections high profile. In the coming days and weeks, we'll be posting about key individual candidates and more. And, just like most of our progressive movements, this will be fueled by your ideas and your passion. Suggestions are welcome by email, or feel free to drop them in the comments below.
Do it for Mark Warner. And do it for Democrats everywhere.