Delegate Won't Run, Easing Gilmore's Senate Bid

Before Saxman bowed out, some GOP leaders seemed eager for a nomination battle between him and Gilmore.

In an interview Friday night, John Warner said he was hoping for a "good, strong, competitive field" for the nomination. He declined to say whether he would endorse the eventual GOP nominee.

Several Republicans say Gilmore, governor from 1998 to 2002, will face considerable challenges in uniting the party. Some say he was known as governor for being too dismissive of certain GOP activists.

"A lot of people in this party think they have a score to settle with Jim," said J. Kenneth Klinge, a GOP strategist from Alexandria.

J. Tucker Watkins, a party activist from southern Virginia, said Gilmore will have to overcome the perception that he was too inflexible as governor.

"There is nothing wrong with a guy who fills his promises, but sometimes being so focused made him tough with people," Watkins said.

In an interview, Gilmore said he's not worried about dissent within the GOP ranks. "I know what I have to do win statewide," he said.

Division within the GOP could imperil the party's chances of keeping the Senate seat John Warner has held since 1979. Mark Warner led Gilmore by 30 percentage points in a Washington Post poll in October.

Despite the Democrat's early advantage, Republican leaders said they will pull out all the stops to retain the seat.

"When people find out who the Democratic nominee for president is and they find a little bit more about Mark Warner, we will beat Mark Warner," said state party Chairman John H. Hager.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) predicted that Mark Warner would face the toughest campaign of his career. "When you pull back the curtain and look at his record, it's not very impressive," Bolling said. "He is not the wizard everyone thinks he is."

There was also plenty of jockeying at the retreat among those who might run for governor, attorney general or lieutenant governor in 2009.

Bolling and Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, both possible candidates for governor, hosted hospitality suites Friday night. McDonnell's was particularly well attended because he brought in two Washington Redskins cheerleaders to sign pictures of the squad in their game-day outfits. McDonnell's wife, Maureen, was a Redskins cheerleader from 1974 to 1976.