Mark Warner - U.S. Senate

Revisiting Petersburg

Governor Warner’s “Hometown Days” tour brought him to Petersburg, where he met with officials at the U.S. Army’s Fort Lee garrison. The 2004 BRAC base-closing commission decided to double the size of Fort Lee, and federal, military, state and local officials are planning for a huge influx of military families in the coming years. Governor Warner also met with executives and employees at Boehringer Ingelheim, a German chemical company.

In 2003, Governor Warner “closed-the-deal” on a $260 million investment by the company, bringing jobs to rural Virginia and boosting the local economy. It was the single largest investment in Petersburg history, and Boehringer Ingelheim now employs more than 500 people.

The Governor also met with city officials and leaders of the community’s education, business, and non-profit groups to discuss exciting opportunities to confront some of the challenges facing the Petersburg region. Read about the meeting of the Phoenix Group here.

Touring Ashland

Adam White, our new regional political director, sent in this update from Governor Warner's Hometown Day visit to Ashland yesterday:

Governor Warner continued our Hometown Days with visits to schools, businesses, offices, and restaurants. Nearly 50 people showed up for a lunchtime meet and greet at the Ashland Coffee and Tea. Governor Warner got to shake hands and meet with everybody in the restaurant before Mayor Faye Prichard of Ashland welcomed him.

The Ashland Coffee and Tea, a great local coffee and sandwich shop with a diverse clientèle and a critically acclaimed listening room, was packed with old friends and new acquaintances. After telling stories of past bike rides through “The Center of the Universe”, as it is affectionately known by its citizens, and sampling the great coffee, sandwiches, and excellent peppermint milkshakes, Governor Warner and some of his friends were off on a walk through downtown Ashland.

Governor Warner, escorted by Ashland District Board of Supervisors representative Ed Via, Town Manager Charles Hartgrove, Lee and Susan Chambers, Buddy Kelly, and Mayor Prichard visited the Ashland Feed Store, the Ashland Public Library, the ice cream store, the bike shop, and several local restaurants.

Customers and lunchtime patrons alike were thrilled to see the Governor visiting their city and taking the time to say hello. Governor Warner met many store owners who said businesses was going well, met a former elementary school principal at the public library, and discussed local history with the owner of the Feed Store and a friend.

After walking back and forth through downtown, Governor Warner was welcomed into a political communications class at Randolph-Macon College in Washington and Franklin Hall near downtown Ashland. The Governor spoke briefly about his personal and political history as well as his run for the United States Senate this year before asking the students for questions. Governor Warner answered questions ranging from energy alternatives to the state of America in the eyes of other nations.

Mike Henry, campaign manager

We’re happy to announce today that Mike Henry, a veteran of Virginia campaigns, will become the campaign manager for Governor Warner’s Senate campaign.

Mike has worked with Governor Warner before—he was the head of the coordinated campaign during the Mark Warner’s run for governor in 2001. Mike also managed Tim Kaine’s campaign for governor in 2005.

We’re very excited to have Mike back in Virginia and leading our campaign to bring that same approach to Washington.

Read the press release after the jump.

Internships now available

Governor Mark Warner is looking for interns to help in his Senate campaign! Friends of Mark Warner is now accepting applications for spring, summer, and fall interns. Spring interns must be willing to work in our office in Alexandria, only minutes from D.C. Summer and fall internships will also be available at our regional offices (Locations TBA).

Interns will work closely with the campaign staff to further Governor Warner’s bid to become the next U.S. Senator from Virginia. Strong candidates will have the ability to work dynamically with a team, have no apprehensiveness about hard work, and be committed to Governor Warner’s campaign. We prefer interns who are available to work full time, but part-time applicants will be considered.

These internships are unpaid, but nothing can compare to the first-hand experience that will be gained. In addition, we are willing to help you find housing arrangements if necessary. To apply, email your resume and cover letter to resume@markwarner2008.com.

Congrats, Albert!

I wanted to quickly send my congratulations to Albert Pollard and say thank you to his supporters for sending Albert back to Richmond. Albert won back his old seat in the House of Delegates yesterday during a special election and will bring back the same kind of independent thinking that helps keep Virginia moving forward.

Albert is yet another example of the kind of common-sense leader that we need in our government. By sending Albert back to Richmond, we have another a leader who is committed to building bipartisan coalitions in the House of Delegates that put the needs of Virginians above partisan politics.

Albert’s win yesterday also represents another win for Virginia Democrats and continues to further the consecutive gains we’ve made since 2003. The results continue to show that Virginians recognize good government when they see it, and Virginia Democrats know how to govern.

Marching for Warner

Warner for Senate supporters marched in yesterday’s George Washington Birthday Parade in Alexandria. The parade, the largest of its kind in the country, was well attended with thousands gathered along the parade route to celebrate the 276th birthday of our nation’s first President. Warner for Senate signs were a popular item for parade watchers young and old, and in Governor Warner’s hometown it was clear that ‘Virginia is Warner Country’.

A sense of urgency

We’ve gotten the video of Governor Warner’s speech at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, courtesy of Raising Kaine. The text of the Governor’s speech is below. But the part we really want to show you is the introduction by Governor Warner’s wife, Lisa Collis.

There is no one that knows Mark Warner better than his wife, and she gives a hilarious and accurate portrait of who her husband is. She talks about who Mark Warner is, how he got to be that way, and why the family really wanted him to run for Senate.

The J-J Speech

Governor Warner delivered the following remarks at Saturday night’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond before a sold-out crowd of 6,000 Virginia Democrats. He was introduced by his wife, Lisa Collis.

Thank you, Lisa. I can understand why now you wouldn’t let me read that introduction. Thank you for your love and support and the fact that on this one you gave me the green pass. And thank you, Virginia Democrats!

I look around this room, and, Boy, all I can say is … we have come a long way. And a special thanks to all of you sitting up in those stands who are making this a record Jefferson/Jackson Dinner. See a lot of us remember when it wasn’t this way. I remember our Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in 2001. There were no Democrats in statewide office in Virginia. The legislature was two-to-one against us. And the press said the best days for Virginia Democrats were in the past.

But, we in 2001, working together, we defied the cynics and the skeptics … and we took back the Governor’s Mansion! In 2005, we built on that streak by electing our great Governor, my friend, Tim Kaine! And wasn’t it sweet…wasn’t it sweet that in 2006, we sent Jim Webb to Washington … and turned the U.S. Senate blue! And in the last three state elections, we’ve picked up members in the House of Delegates! And just this past year, in 2007, we, Virginia Democrats took back control of the State Senate – to give Governor Kaine the partners he needs!

Now an awful lot of folks deserve thanks for that, but i do want to single out one person Amy Reeger, who’s been our Party’s executive director. And say thank you, Amy, for a job well done.

You know, from the statehouse to the courthouse, Virginia Democrats have shown we know how to win. We’ve shown we know how to lead. And yes, we’ve shown we know how to govern!

Yes, we have come a long way… but we have further to go to lift up our Commonwealth and to change this country. And that’s why I’m asking for your help to elect me to be the next United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Live from the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner

UPDATE: Saturday, Feb. 9 We have a record crowd here at the J-J Dinner, where Governor Warner is joined by Virginia’s Democratic leadership and presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

When Governor Warner arrived at the Seigel Center in Richmond this afternoon, a large crowd gathered with a marching band in tow to welcome him. As we all stood out there waiting for him to arrive, passersby saw our t-shirts and signs and shouted “Go Mark Warner!” and drivers on the street honked their horns. It was electric.

Our entire staff will be in Richmond this weekend, at the annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner hosted by the Democratic Party of Virginia. Governor Warner will be there, and very much looks forward to seeing all of you too. If you can come, be sure to stop by and say hi.

We will be streaming the event LIVE via UStream.tv. If you can’t make it to Richmond, just check back here on Saturday night to catch the Governor’s speech along with appearances by Governor Tim Kaine, and presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Warner makes stops in the New River Valley

Governor Warner is getting many opportunities on his Hometown Days tours to talk about the need for health care reform. This week, he was in the New Rivery Valley and visited the Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem.

The Roanoke Times was there and carried this report from the hospital:

He talked about the need for electronic medical records and more transparency among health care providers. He advocated better financing for long-term care and for some version of universal health coverage.

“I think we’re going to see a big-bang approach to health care reform,” Warner said.

Victor Giovanetti, the hospital’s chief executive officer, who attended the meeting, said he supports many of the former governor’s stances, especially his emphasis on collaboration.

“We are finding we have some challenges ahead and we need collective focus from everyone,” Giovanetti said.

Warner’s comments on universal health coverage particularly resonated with the hospital’s rehabilitation director, Denise Rose, who also attended the meeting.

Rose said she often sees patients caught in the bind of needing long-term care but not having adequate private insurance to pay for it. Many can’t pay out of pocket and are forced to go on Medicaid or disability, she said.

“I think he spoke to the heart of the matter on reform,” Rose said.

Before the trip ended, Governor Warner toured Optical Cable Corporation, visted Radford University, met with Radford’s Democratic Activists, walked the Main Streets of Radford and Blacksburg, and met with the Community Foundation of the New River Valley.

EverythingNRValley.com has video of the stops in Radford. OurValley.org covered the visits as well.

Here are some pictures of Governor Warner’s Main Street walk and a lunch reception in Christiansburg:

"But then again, Mark Warner is different."

Governor Warner is in Roanoke today, another stop on his Hometown Days across Virginia. After the Governor visited the Optical Cable facilities, WSLS Channel 10’s Chief Political Correspondent Jay Warren wrote this on their website, summarizing what we are seeing on these Hometown Days.

Mark Warner will be in town on Monday and Tuesday. While here, he’ll be touring several local businesses, shaking hands at local restaurants, and speaking to students at Radford. These are fairly standard campaign stops and usually don’t elicit all that much interest, much less excitement. But, Mark Warner is different.

Generally former governors and even political candidates fight for attention. They sometimes beg for media coverage and hope to get decent sized crowds at rallies and meet-and-greets. This is true no matter the political party. It’s hard to get people’s attention when you’re out of office or campaigning almost a year prior to an election (particularly one that doesn’t yet seem overly competitive). The public and media have short attention spans. But that doesn’t appear to be a problem for Mark Warner. He is different.

I have had no fewer than a half dozen random people ask me if I knew Warner was coming to town this week. These weren’t political operatives or party leaders. Instead, in most cases, they were average folks. And, they all seemed genuinely excited Warner would be here.

On Monday at his first stop at Optical Cable Warner got very favorable treatment. One worker even hugged him like a long-lost relative. She later called him Senator-elect Warner. Remember, it’s 10 months before we actually vote on that Senate contest! It wasn’t rock star treatment, but there was noticeable energy.

Warner left office with sky-high approval ratings, flirted with a presidential bid, and is now the Democratic nominee for the US Senate seat being vacated by John Warner. All of that ensured Warner’s name would stay in front of the public. Today, Mark Warner seemed just as important and popular as he did in 2004/2005 at the height of his success as our governor. That’s not easy to do two years out of office. But then again, Mark Warner is different.

Mark Warner is different. Not many Virginia governors have the record of success that has made him one of the most popular governors in Virginia history. But Governor Warner worked hard to bring a different approach to Richmond. He worked with his Republican counterparts to get things done for Virginians. He brought jobs to rural Virginia and made historic investments in education, public safety and health care.

It’s that difference that makes Governor Warner so popular and makes voters so enthusiastic about sending him to the U.S. Senate. It’s this type of excitement that we keep seeing on our Hometown Day visits around the state.

Despite the obstacles, communities gather together

On Thursday night, a woman drove the nearly five hours from Grundy to Greene to meet Governor Warner at the Lafayette Inn in Stanardsville. Governor Warner met with business leaders and elected officials from Greene County to talk about what they needed from their next senator.

Friday morning, despite freezing rain on a cold wintery day in Orange, nearly 60 early risers stopped by “Not the Same Old Grind” Coffee Shop for a meet & greet with Governor Warner. In addition to local public officials such as Mayor Carter of Orange and Councilman Wilkinson of Gordonsville, the current and past sheriff, members of the police force, the past fire chief, and local business owner Don Waugh of Waugh Enterprises Harley Davidson were in attendance.

Governor Warner thanked the audience for braving the elements, and after brief remarks, took questions from the audience. It was truly a bipartisan gathering of community leaders.

Governor Warner then visited the Orange County Nursing Home and Home for Adults. The nursing home, unique in that it is county-owned and a not-for-profit facility, has a 168-bed capacity and all residents were on hand to hear Governor Warner discuss health care and the premium we must place on caring for an aging population.

Governor Warner got a chance to talk about his work to fix health care, both as Governor and as a private citizen, when he created the Virginia Health Care Foundation and SeniorNavigator.com, a website that connects the elderly to health care resources.

"He made our dreams come true"

Governor Warner toured the Germanna Community College's Daniel Center for Advanced Technology in Culpeper today, a workforce training facility that he helped build before and during his term as Governor.

"He made our dreams come true," said Connie Kincheloe, a member of the Virginia Board for Community Colleges.

Governor Warner encouraged local officials and community leaders to build a technology center at Germanna Community College as early as 1999, before making investments in the overall community college system as Governor. When construction costs left the facility millions of dollars over budget, Governor Warner identified the funds GCC needed to move the project along to help prepare the community's students for the high-tech jobs that are moving into Culpeper.

The Governor toured the facilities today and received a demonstration of the advanced technology that allows it to connect with other GCC campuses.

After meeting with the students, Warner was honored at a lunch attended by nearly 170 local residents.

The crowd was attentive, and expressed their concerns about education reform, health care reform, and unfunded mandates passed-on to localities by the federal and state governments. The Governor said that, as a U.S. Senator, he will work to get Virginia the money it needs before forcing additional requirements upon the state and its localities.

By the end of the lunch, the crowd was ready to help Governor Warner get to the Senate.

"He's ready for it," said one voter who attended. "We need that kind of sense in Washington."

UPDATE: The Free-Lance Star wrote about Governor Warner's committment to reject extremism when he gets to the Senate:

"I'm independent-minded," he said, adding, "We need to say no to extremists on both sides." ...

Warner told the mixed, but mostly Democratic audience that he sees a "window of opportunity" for America after a new president--whoever that is--is inaugurated next January.

"This country needs a win and a sense that we can get things done," he said. "Americans are fed up. I don't think they trust either party."

Warner, who stressed his bipartisan efforts while serving as governor from 2002-06, said that if elected to the Senate in November, one of his goals would be to form a small group of senators from both parties that he called "the radical centers."

He said this core group could be key to bringing Americans together again and getting the country moving forward.