Potentially Presidential Pols Pass in a Va. Night

RICHMOND -- Two ex-governors with presidential dreams. A constellation of groupies for each. One hotel ballroom.

The orbits of former governor Mark R. Warner (D) and U.S. Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) collided Saturday at Richmond's swank Jefferson Hotel, offering a preview of what the 2008 election might bring if Virginia's two most ambitious politicians seek the White House.

The Jefferson's Grand Ballroom began the day as the site of a "Policy and Politics Retreat" for 200 of Warner's closest, and richest, associates. The former governor's name hung on banners, and his image -- beamed in from New Hampshire, where he was giving a speech -- appeared on three huge plasma television screens.

By evening, though, the chamber's Democratic karma had given way to a decidedly Republican sensibility.

Down came the plasma screens. Bright blue Allen signs replaced the fluttering Warner banners. Republican activists dressed in tuxedos and gowns streamed in for their state party's annual fundraiser as Warner supporters left, heading to a barbecue picnic at the local NASCAR racetrack.

"Somebody in booking has a weird sense of humor," an Allen staffer was overheard to say.

In six months, the prospect of a chance meeting of Warner and Allen might not seem so novel. Both are openly flirting with a presidential bid, although neither admits to having made a final decision. An announcement from either could come after the November elections.

Should they jump in, both face significant obstacles to winning their parties' nominations.

Allen must persuade GOP voters to choose his brand of aw-shucks, George W. Bush-style conservatism over such potential adversaries as U.S. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. And he needs to win reelection in November in the face of plummeting Republican poll numbers and problems in Iraq.

"That has more of a potential to be a real challenge than anyone thought," said Scott Reed, who managed former Senate majority leader Bob Dole's presidential campaign in 1996.

Warner -- a one-term governor with no foreign policy know-how -- must introduce himself to the nation and ease concerns about his lack of experience.

"Right now he's not the governor anymore," said Steve Elmendorf, a senior aide in the presidential campaigns of Democrats Richard A. Gephardt and U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.). "You can't demonstrate experience, so you have to demonstrate knowledge."