Democratic Endorsements Reveal a National vs. Local Split

Virginia's Democratic Senate candidates are pursuing strikingly different paths to their showdown next month, with James Webb counting on a string of national endorsements to erase doubts about his Democratic credentials and Harris Miller courting the kind of local activists sure to turn out for the state's unpredictable primary.

Both sides are depending heavily on endorsements to define their still unfamiliar candidacies: Webb convincing the national Democratic leadership that he offers the best chance to defeat Republican Sen. George Allen, and Miller calling in chits among party activists with whom he has served for decades to show he represents the constituencies necessary for Democrats to win in the fall.

With less than a month remaining before the June 13 primary, neither candidate has the inclination -- or the money -- to fund the kind of traditional media blitz that fills the election season. Although all Virginia voters are eligible to vote in the primary, the highest recent turnout for a Democratic election is less than 10 percent, and the Webb camp estimates that as few as 125,000 voters might decide the contest.

Whatever their strategy, both sides expect the endorsements -- "verifiers" is the word used by Webb strategist Steve Jarding -- to play an important role.

"It's a 100-day campaign, essentially, not a 12-month campaign," Jarding said, noting that Webb did not officially enter the race until March. "I don't have a lot of time to get to know either one of these guys, if I'm a voter. So they're going to get to know them through people they trust, who can verify them."

To that end, Webb's past two weeks have been about as good as a Democratic candidate could hope for, especially a former Reagan administration official who endorsed Allen six years ago.

His highly honored Marine background and his out-front opposition to the war in Iraq were amplified by support from the retired generals who have recently gone public with their criticism of the way the Bush administration has handled the war.

A trade union, one of the Democratic Party's most steadfast constituencies, endorsed Webb and had sharp words for Miller. "If I'm one of the union households in the state, that tells me something," Jarding said.

Senate Democratic leader Harry M. Reid of Nevada and six other current and former senators, including former Democratic National Committee chairman Christopher J. Dodd, a senator from Connecticut, broke the usual primary neutrality to offer their support. And on Friday, Webb had a private meeting with the party's 2004 presidential nominee, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry.

Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota signaled the party's interest in Webb's unorthodox candidacy, calling him a "unique candidate who can both clearly articulate Democratic values and compel voters across all demographics to vote Democrat."

Perhaps most important for Webb, former Virginia governor and potential presidential contender Mark R. Warner spoke on Webb's behalf at a high-dollar, well-attended event in Arlington on Thursday night. Warner had attended a fundraiser for Miller this spring, and his wife, Lisa Collis, has given Miller the maximum campaign contribution.

"In Jim Webb, we have somebody who's not afraid to take on a fight," Warner said. Delivering a political blessing, he declared Webb "someone willing to take this fight to all the people of Virginia . . . a great American, a great Virginia Democrat."