|
Webb's win could put Virginia in play in presidential
race
by Heather
B. Hayes
for Virginia Business
December
2006
It's been 42 years since a Democrat won Virginia in
a presidential election. But the recent success of Democrats
in statewide races could mean that Virginia is in play
in 2008.
The Old Dominion made the national
spotlight last month when challenger Jim Webb narrowly
defeated Republican Sen. George Allen, sealing the
last of six Democratic victories that tipped the balance
of power in the Senate. Webb's win continues a pattern
seen in the election of two Democratic governors (Timothy
M. Kaine and Mark R. Warner) since 2001. Political
observers say Virginia is no longer a reliably "red" state
for Republicans.
"I think, given Warner's victory, Kaine's victory
and Webb's victory, Virginia will be pretty close to
the top of the list that Democratic candidates have when
they want to pick up a few more states in the 2008 election," says
Stephen Farnsworth, an associate professor of political
science at the University of Mary Washington.
Certainly the strength of the Republican Party in Virginia
is still evident. The GOP has solid majorities in the
Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates, and eight
out of the state's 11 U.S. representatives are Republican.
President George W. Bush easily won Virginia with 54
percent of the vote in 2004 and 53 percent in 2000.
But fast-growing Washington suburbs
in Northern Virginia seem to be shifting the state's
political shade from red to purple. If the suburbs
continue to embrace Democratic candidates, their voting
trend could have a major impact next fall when all
140 state legislators are up for re-election. "As
districts become more Democratic in the suburban areas
around Northern Virginia, there may be some seats that
are aggressively contested," says Farnsworth.
|
