Virginia’s Mark Warner has ability to challenge Biden for Democratic nomination
Quin Hillyer
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To save both the Democratic Party and the country from another depressing contest between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) should challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination.
Warner is far too liberal for my own taste, but his profile and a hard-nosed political analysis both suggest that 1) he could have a chance at beating Biden, 2) he would be a much stronger general election candidate than Biden, 3) he could serve more competently than Biden, and 4) he might ameliorate at least some of the worst excesses of today’s partisan, ideological, and cultural divides.
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To be absolutely clear, Warner is no centrist. Not even close. His lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union is an anemic 6.56 out of 100; his most recent annual rating from the leftist Americans for Democrat Action was a perfect 100.
On the other hand, he is rarely outspoken on most divisive hot-button issues, which leaves him room to move somewhat less left. And as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and in personal dealings with other senators, Warner often has been a model of bipartisanship, forging decent personal relationships and seeking common ground on legislation and oversight of the executive branch.
For purposes of political positioning against Biden, therefore, Warner’s record offers nothing to turn off the self-proclaimed “progressive” base of Democratic activists. Still, he can tack just enough less leftward than Biden so that he appeals to the older style liberals (as opposed to hard left) who gave Biden the nomination four years ago when the alternative was socialist Bernie Sanders.
And he can make a strong argument, important for many Democratic voters, that he would be far more electable than Biden in November 2024. Warner’s comparative energy and youth — at 69, hardly a spring chicken, but still far more vigorous than Biden’s doddering 80 — along with his image as a consensus-builder and his lack of family ethical imbroglios, all could combine to attract voters notably unenthused about another Biden term. Compared to Biden, he certainly gives Republicans a target more difficult to hit.
There are plenty of ways a Democratic candidate with an indisputably liberal record can win a Democratic primary and yet run a general election campaign that jettisons the worst excesses of the woke hard Left, such as its insane war against parents, while still making clear a commitment to battle racism, treat “gender-fluid” people with dignity, promote “clean energy,” and maintain a government safety net far more capacious than conservatives think wise. (This column will refrain from advising Warner or other liberals how to do so.)
As Virginia’s governor 20 years ago, Warner boasted a center-left record, while independent analysts gave his administration the nation’s highest ratings for management efficacy. In short, he could make a strong general election case as a “good government” reformer.
Meanwhile, in terms of political realities, Warner has the financial wherewithal, unlike most other Democrats, to make a spirited primary season run against Biden. Warner’s personal wealth reportedly far exceeds $200 million. If he could devote just a tenth of that to the race, it would jump-start his campaign in terms of advertising, organizing, and setting up a larger fundraising apparatus.
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Put it this way: If Warner hired strategists as canny as, say, famed Louisiana consultant James Carville, he could match resources and message in ways that drive Biden to distraction. And if Warner actually got on a debate stage with Biden, he would outshine the president with ease.
As my colleague Zach Faria argued convincingly today, Biden has left plenty of political blood in the water. Warner could be just the right shark to make the political kill.