Senate race drifts under radar

MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
Published: November 4, 2008

Virginia’s U.S. Senate campaign is ending up pretty much as it began—under the radar.

The contest to replace Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va., was largely overshadowed by the historic presidential campaign.

And from the beginning, former Gov. Mark R. Warner had lopsided advantages over former Gov. Jim Gilmore in support and in fundraising.

On his last day on the campaign trail, Mark Warner held events in Roanoke, Norfolk and Richmond before heading to the Manassas rally for Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the Democratic presidential nominee.

Gilmore also rallied with his party’s presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, yesterday morning at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport, just over the state line in Blountville, Tenn. Gilmore then headed east to make several appearances in Hampton Roads.

At Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Warner was flanked by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-3rd, and other elected officials.

The politicians spent almost as much time talking up Obama as they did Warner, who gave the hearty get-out-the vote push.

“Do not let anybody that you’re a friend with, or work with or go to school with, do not let any of those folks say, ‘Hey, a little bad weather I’m not going to vote,‘“ Warner said.

The final Senate poll taken for the Richmond Times-Dispatch showed Warner leading Gilmore nearly 2 to 1. Warner was backed by 61 percent, Gilmore by 32 percent.

Six percent of voters were undecided and 1 percent preferred other candidates. Independent Green candidate Glenda Gail Parker and Libertarian William B. Redpath also are on the ballot today.

Warner, a multimillionaire, has maintained a large fundraising advantage. Warner has collected $12.3 million, compared with $1.7 million by Gilmore.

Gilmore has run a shoe-leather and shoestring campaign.

Yesterday, he greeted two shifts of shipyard employees at the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard and then talked with customers at a gas station in Newport News that gave a “Get Out the Vote” discount of 25 cents per gallon, according to Gilmore’s campaign.