October 12, 2006
White House Race Rankings: One Down...
Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner dropped the first bombshell of the '08 race with his Oct. 12 announcement to forego a White House bid. "...[W]hile politically this appears to be the right time for me to take the plunge—at this point, I want to have a real life," he said in a statement announcing his decision.What does Warner's exit from the Dem stage mean for the other non-Hillary Clinton hopefuls? Look for one of the biggest immediate beneficiaries to be Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who folks may start to take much more seriously. What's not clear is when John McCain, John Edwards and Clinton officially declare their intentions. They all have the standing to wait a bit longer than others, but at the same time, they'd like to make sure their challengers don't get too much oxygen. This should be fascinating to watch.
Check out our updated White House 2008 Race Rankings.
Posted at 03:42 PM
Comments
What this means is that Warner read the writing on the wall and realized it will be next to impossible for a member of the DLC to win the nomination in 2008.
Look at three primaries from three very different states: Montana, California, and Connecticut. In all three cases a significant financial advantage wasn't enough for the DLC candidate to win.
Bob Brigham | 10.12.06 04:36 PM
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Edwards clearly benefits from Warner's departure, as Warner was one of the few candidates who might have posed a real threat to the southern Iowa and Polk County (Des Moines and 'burbs) vote that Edwards won in 2004 and appears to have only solidified over the past 2.5 years.
MeanBoneII | 10.13.06 06:55 AM
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