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Webb Would Be a Bold Choice for Obama's No. 2
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His biggest obstacle to being offered a spot on the ticket might come down to a realization within the Obama campaign that it's not a sure thing that Webb would deliver Virginia for Democrats.
In 2006, Webb won the state by just 9,000 votes, despite the national Democratic tide and Allen's well-publicized gaffes. In the 2004 presidential race, President Bush beat Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass) by 262,000 votes in Virginia, highlighting the hurdle that Obama and Webb would face in winning the state this year.
Although North Carolina is a slightly more Republican-leaning state than Virginia, Kerry's decision to put then-Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) on the ticket failed to change the overall dynamic of the presidential contest in that state in 2004. Bush won North Carolina, Virginia's neighbor to the south, by 435,000 votes.
Since Webb's 2006 victory, there has been little evidence that he has spent a great deal of time trying to build a political operation in Virginia. Republicans say Webb will be vulnerable if he seeks reelection in 2012, and some Virginia Democrats complain that he hasn't been visible enough. In a Washington Post poll in October, Webb had a 50 percent approval rating.
If Obama wanted to win Virginia, he would be better off selecting former governor Mark R. Warner, a Democratic candidate for Senate this year, or Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), a former Richmond mayor who is well liked among moderate Republican women in that city's GOP-leaning suburbs.
But Webb has a compelling background and career that could lift Obama up enough nationwide to counteract uncertainty about his running mate's strengths in his home state.
Obama would, however, be making a bold choice.
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