Larry Sabato, University of Virginia professor and political pundit, has predicted in his “Crystal Ball” that former Governor Mark Warner will defeat former Governor Jim Gilmore [1] in this year’s U.S. Senate race.
Sabato states:
The GOP has lost races for Governor in 2001 and 2005, U.S. Senator in 2006, and the state Senate in 2007. The man who started the movement to the Democrats, former Governor Mark Warner, is very likely headed to the Senate in 2008.
…
The Virginia GOP has moved even further right at a time when the state as a whole has dramatically moderated, making the Republican party’s brand unpalatable to the key swing moderates and independents who determine the results of general elections, not to mention the band of Virginians who fund the candidates. All this is great news for the Democrats.