Warner, a centrist who had won in a Republican-leaning state, was seen as a viable Democratic alternative to Clinton.
During his tenure as governor, Warner's approval rating was in the mid-70s in a state that hasn't supported a Democratic presidential nominee since 1964.
Former Virginia Gov. MarkWarner's decision not to run for president is a telling statement about the Democratic Party, the strength of its liberal wing, and the inevitability of Hillary Clinton's presidential nomination in 2008.
Warner, who has been touring the country engaging in the ritualistic work for party candidates during this congressional election in preparation for a presidential run, was thought the best hope for party moderates.
Warner said he was bypassing a White House run due to family concerns, and no doubt such an effort takes an enormous toll on a candidate's private life.
Warner was considered one of the top contenders for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2008 because of his wide appeal to independents and moderateRepublicans, and his high popularity in a relatively Republican state.
Warner was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is the son of Robert and Marge Warner, and the older brother of Lisa Warner.
Warner had supported and campaigned for Kaine, and many national pundits considered Kaine's victory to be further evidence of Warner's political clout in Virginia, as well as a signal of his viability as a presidential candidate.
Mark R. (the "R" stands for Robert) Warner was elected Virginia's 69th governor in November, 2001.
Mark grew up in a middle class family where he learned the values of hard work, faith, and family, and the importance of a good education.
Mark has served on the boards of Virginia Union University, the George Washington University, the Appalachian School of Law, the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, and the Virginia Math and Science Coalition.
Warner officially took the post after an impressive showing as interim head coach in 1995, when he led the squad to a 27-5 record and its first ever Western Athletic Conference championship.
Warner himself was named the 2002 conference co-coach of the year after taking his Aztecs to a second-place league finish.
The Warners' youngest daughter Robin, 29, graduated in 2004 with her medical degree and is in residency at Buffalo General Hospital.
Warner would be an attractive addition to the Dem ticket in 2008 because of his centrist pull, one that doesn't compromise on issues such as education and health care.
Warner, like an Edwards or Clark, would appeal to a broad swath of voters, however, and would be competitive in even "red" states; if the Democratic Party truly wants to expand its base and become more competitive in other areas of the country, then Warner is a top-tier candidate for consideration.
MarkWarner is seemed as a liberal in Virginia that works for the common good for all citizens of the great state.
The New York Observer Politicker: Mark Warner Archives(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-17)
Warner was considered a potential rival to Hillary Clinton when it came to capturing moderate and centrist Democratic voters.
Warner, the source said, "is determined to stay in the public and political arena.
He portrays Warner as the likeliest anti-Hillary, and as a talented guy who's not quite ready for prime time, and apparently unwilling to take the only path Bai sees as a potential winner: running against the establishment.
Warner, who enjoyed high popularity ratings in the Republican-leaning Virginia when he left the governorship in January, had traveled to Iowa and New Hampshire, the traditional proving grounds for presidential candidates, to explore the possibility of running.
Many political observers saw Warner as a potential centrist candidate that could serve as an alternative to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who has not declared her candidacy but is expected to dominate the Democratic race in '08.
The adviser also said Warner, 51, is leaving open the possibility of running again for Virginia governor in 2009.
Warner hired Monica Dixon, Al Gore's former deputy chief of staff "to be the federal PAC's first part-time consultant." Dixon "will help set up meetings between Warner and Democrats across the country as he makes the transition from governor to private citizen." --Washington Post, June 10, 2005.
An Assessment of Virginia's Response to Hurricane Isobel Submitted to The Honorable Mark R. Warner, Governor of Virginia, December 2003.
Warner is a midwesterner--he was born in Indiana and still has a midwestern accent, he pronounces "measure" as "maysure" etc.
Warner is promising in that he's a tech entrepreneur who was an effective governor, and he clearly gets the dynamics of new political campaigns.
Warner's big selling point appears to be that he took office after a Republican state govt had ruined the state finances, and brought it back into some kind of fiscal sanity.
Warner sponsored a NASCAR team, used a bluegrass song as his campaign theme, and appealed directly to gun-loving hunters and sportsmen -- and it worked.
Winning elections is about more than beer and barbecue, of course: Warner says that Democrats have to engage voters in a conversation about the future, particularly the future of rural areas, small towns and midsize cities where the global economy hasn't delivered on its promise.
Warner is establishing a federal political action committee and has hired a former Al Gore aide to advise him on national politics.
Warner’s staff first said they didn’t think they could do it under Virginia law, and then a major law firm issued a legal opinion explaining that Governor Warner had the power to restore voting rights.
This is a post I wrote about felon disenfranchisement generally while I was guesting at www.MyDD.com (it had a couple of paragraphs on the MarkWarner situation), and the comments section features my extensive exchange with a staffer from Warner'sPAC on the issue.
When MarkWarner dropped out of the 2008 presidential race Thursday, the former Virginia governor shocked a lot of people, beginning with the many Democratic professionals and activists who fervently believed he would make both a strong candidate and a good president.
In the competition to be the un-Hillary, Warner had risen to the top.
Perhaps there's a hidden truth that belies Warner's simple explanation, a skeleton in a closet that was about to get the kind of rummaging that only a presidential campaign can bring.
Warner: I believe that first we must make sure that our country does all we can to seek out, capture, fight the threat against international terrorism.
Governor MarkWarner gets credit for getting Tim Kaine elected and for not being afraid to speak about faith.
I mean, really, if Governor Warner can't even come out emphatically on this one, he's just another Democratic party wuss willing to straddle any issue to sound moderate to the voters in order to get elected.
MarkWarner was Democrats’; only clear candidate, and a clear winner.
I’d see it as a tacit concession by the RPV that their party is far, far to the right of most Virginians, and that they, too, must run candidates who are closer to the center than their own party loyalists.
Davis as nominee would mark a sea change for a party that has been giddy with power in the brief decade that they’ve had it, and show that they’re not going to go without a fight.
Warner co-founded a cell phone company that became Nextel, amassing an estimated $200 million fortune and a set of business principles that he now applies to politics.
Warner is one of several Democrats who have been called “anti-Hillary” or “fallback” candidates because they might win the presidential nomination in the event of a stumble or pullout by the early front-runner, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Warner tells The Examiner that Democrats in various states felt abandoned by Gore and Kerry, who spent almost all of their time campaigning in fewer than 20 battleground states.
Warner, 49, took advantage of the tough budgetary climate to improve Virginias operating structure.
Having cut spending and streamlined government operations, Warner was then in a position to make the case that the state simply had to raise more money if it wanted to remain solvent.
While Chichester negotiated with legislators, Warner took the argument public, stumping the state and telling dozens of civic groups and town hall meetings that, as uncomfortable as a tax increase would be, the lack of one would leave the state in much worse shape.
MarkWarner addressed the Yearly Kos convention Saturday afternoon, and we’ve posted a highlight reel with an introduction from Markos of Daily Kos.
In his introduction of Gov. Warner, Markos says that the netroots will have time to pick the potential presidential candidate of their choice, but for now, Warner is doing a great job of wooing the netroots.
Warner addresses the power of the internet, his support of net neutrality and the use of technology to keep America competitive abroad.
Now, as Democrats lick their wounds 1,452 days before the next presidential election, some are wondering whether Warner could work the same magic across the South, providing the party a presidential candidate who could appeal to the conservative, heartland voters who helped reelect President Bush.
Warner, who is entering his fourth and last year as governor, declines to talk about his political future, other than to specifically deny any interest in becoming chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
But Warner, who graced the cover of Governing magazine this month as a public official of the year, has not been shy about describing how he thinks the Democratic Party must change.
MarkWarner, the former governor of Virginia who was considered a possibility for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, has announced that he won't run, citing a desire to spend time with his family.
Posted by: Zack at October 13, 2006 08:11 AM The Democratic leadership may not be properly capitalizing on things like the Foley Affair or public dissent regarding Iraq and civil liberties or the economy, but I think they are intelligent enough not to run Hillary.
Posted by: txyankee at October 13, 2006 08:28 AM As a native Texan now living in Richmond, VA, I've watched MarkWarner go from gubernatorial candidate to outstanding governor to a lot of people's favorite for the Democraticpresidential nomination.