Former Va. Gov. Warner Set to Seek Senate Seat

Warner decided to formally reveal his decision electronically because he doesn't want his announcement to upstage the fall campaign for control of the General Assembly.

He plans to campaign heavily for legislative candidates as Democrats try to retake the state Senate and make inroads in the House of Delegates.

Warner, a wealthy venture capitalist who founded Nextel, also plans to start raising the millions of dollars he will need for a competitive race, the sources said. His friends and advisers say he will slowly begin assembling a campaign team, too.

Warner stunned supporters last fall when he abruptly ended his exploratory campaign for president, citing the strain on his family. He also has been mentioned as a vice presidential candidate next year, but the decision to run for Senate all but eliminates that possibility.

He agonized for weeks over whether to run for Senate or seek his old job in 2009. Virginia governors are barred from succeeding themselves.

A self-described executive, Warner loved being governor and often called it "the best job in America."

While in office, Warner helped close a multibillion-dollar budget deficit by trimming the size of government and pushing through a $1.5 billion tax increase. He also oversaw the state's efforts to catch the Washington area sniper in 2002 and its response to Hurricane Isabel in 2003.

But Warner was under tremendous pressure from national Democratic leaders to run for the Senate after John Warner announced two weeks ago that he would not seek reelection.

In recent weeks, Mark Warner has had several conversations with Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

In 1996, Warner came within five percentage points of defeating John Warner, in part because he ran surprisingly strongly for a Democrat in rural areas.

Uncertainty about Virginia's political environment in 2009 also played a role in Mark Warner's decision, his advisers say.

Although Virginia has elected two Democratic governors in a row, it remains relatively conservative. Warner wasn't convinced that voters would embrace his candidacy in 2009, especially if there is a Democratic president, his advisers say.

Even if he won the governor's race, some advisers cautioned that he might not enjoy the job as much the second time.

"It's very hard to have a second act that's equally successful," said Robert D. Holsworth, a political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. "If he's interested in contributing to the national debate, this will give him an opportunity."

Warner's decision might have come down to what he thought was best for his family. If he were elected to the Senate, his wife and three daughters wouldn't have to move from Alexandria.

Gardner reported from Fairfax County.