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Win by Warner boosts dems' clout
Warner wins easily.Date published: 11/5/2008 BY CHELYEN DAVIS AND EMILY BATTLE McLEAN-- Democrat Mark Warner easily won election to the U.S. Senate seat, marking the first time since 1970 that Virginia has had two Democratic senators.With 89 percent of precincts reporting, Warner took 63 percent of the vote to beat Republican Jim Gilmore in a race to fill the seat long held by retiring Sen. John Warner. Gilmore had 35 percent of the vote. The results are unofficial, and some precincts were still being counted as of press time. Both men are former governors; Mark Warner's term followed Gilmore's. In 1970, Virginia's two senators were Democrats--Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr., and William B. Spong. Byrd switched to Independent status and Spong was defeated for re-election by Republican William Scott. Warner, a popular governor, built his campaign around a promise to be bipartisan and work for solutions to problems over ideologies. "Tonight, by a record margin, Virginians said they want their next U.S. Senator to focus on results, not rhetoric," Warner said at a victory party in Fairfax County. "The challenges we face are a lot more about the future versus the past. As long as we face that future and avoid the political divisions of the past there is nothing we can't accomplish as Americans." Warner said he is "ready to get to work," especially on fiscal issues. "My first two years as governor, I spent a lot of time trying to take Virginia out of a fiscal ditch left by a Republican administration. That may be the best training possible for being a United States Senator come January," Warner said. "With all the recent excesses on Wall Street it might be time to send a few more senators up there who can actually meet a balance sheet." Warner also said he will continue to seek John Warner's advice, and said he will push for energy innovation. Gilmore conceded the race shortly after 9 p.m. in a phone call to Warner and a speech to supporters gathered in Glen Allen, near Richmond. There, he promised to continue being an advocate for the issues on which he ran, such as domestic oil production, protection of Virginia's right-to-work law, and lower taxes and government spending. The lopsided election results echoed polls that for months showed Warner with a large lead.
Date published: 11/5/2008
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