Va.'s Two Warners May Be Headed for Rematch

Mark Warner left office in 2005 with approval ratings of more than 80 percent and quickly began considering a possible run for the presidency. He formed Forward Together, hired employees with national experience and traveled the country to gain support for a likely bid. Then, last fall, he abruptly dropped out of a race he had never entered, citing concerns about the impact that a campaign would have on his wife and three daughters.

Mark Warner's friends and political allies say that at times he regrets leaving the presidential race and wants to get back into public life. A second term as governor seemed the more likely option for him, and he regularly expressed regret while campaigning for Kaine that the state constitution would not allow him to serve a second consecutive term.

But with the next governor's race not until 2009, Warner is at least mulling over the possibility of a run for Senate under the regular and repeated urgings of Schumer.

"Mark Warner is one of the most accomplished and respected public servants in Virginia," said Matt Miller, communications director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "We think he would be an excellent candidate for the Senate, and we will continue to talk with him about it."

The biggest obstacle to a Mark Warner candidacy could well be his close personal ties to the man he might have to run against. As governor and senator, the Warners had a cordial relationship. But it became a friendship in 2004 after the senator was condemned by his own party for publicly supporting then-Gov. Warner's tax increases. At a news conference in Richmond, John Warner said: "Politics be damned. Let's consider what's best for the men and women of this great state and their families and children."

Aides have said the two grew closer after that. Mark Warner has said publicly in the past that he would not run against the senator.

John Warner said this week that the former governor had not discussed a possible challenge with him. "I know that he'd be talking to me if he were going to do this," the senator said. "I have not heard from him."

Asked if a challenge from Mark Warner would cause him to forgo a reelection bid, the senator replied: "My dear fellow, I've got it in me."