Mark Warner - U.S. Senate

"Clean, independent energy"

We've seen a number of Letters to the Editor published over the last week from citizens across the Commonwealth praising Governor Warner for his energy plan. On Sunday, this letter from Jim David ran in the Daily Press:

The pursuit of clean, independent energy represents an historic opportunity to simultaneously promote our national security and improve the environment. That Mark Warner understands this is one of the many reasons he should be the next U.S. senator from Virginia.

Under the headline "Warner's Energy Plan Is Smarter Than Gilmore's," Steven M. Morris from Glen Allen was featured in the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Compare Gilmore's thoughtless posturing to the thoughtful, forward-looking energy solutions offered by his opponent for the U.S. Senate, Mark Warner. Warner's energy ideas will create green jobs and wean us off of our dependency on oil -- especially the oil purchased from countries led by blatantly anti-American leaders, not just in the Middle East, but also in Venezuela, our own backyard. ... And I don't think I'm the only Virginia voter who prefers intelligent solutions from someone I trust like Warner over the cheap election-year slogans of someone I don't, like Gilmore.

And in last week's Free Lance-Star Katie Deabler of Stafford said:

It would take approximately 10 years for drilling in either of these areas to affect our gas prices even the slightest bit. Additionally, drilling in these areas could cause irreparable damage to the environment in and around drilling sites. ... While Mr. Gilmore has proposed outdated, unrealistic answers to our problems with gas prices, Mark Warner supports viable, environmentally friendly solutions. By supporting greater tax credits on hybrid vehicles, Mr. Warner works to make fuel-efficient vehicles more realistic for the average buyer.

The consensus seems to be that Governor Warner's energy plan is more pragmatic than other energy plans that are being offered. Governor Warner focuses on real energy solutions that will help wean us off foreign oil while expanding our research and technology capabilities, creating new jobs, and saving the planet along the way. To find out more information about Governor Warner's energy solutions, click here.

Second Amendment

Alexandria, Va. —Former Governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Mark R. Warner issued the following statement on today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision on the District of Columbia’s handgun ban:

“I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and I am pleased this ruling reaffirms the important constitutional right of law-abiding Americans to defend themselves.”

On the Road

Over the weekend, we released a new video montage of Governor Warner's most recent Hometown Day visit to Appomattox and Bedford Counties. While he was there, he chaired the state's Broadband Roundtable, visited Main Street Appomattox, and honored our veterans at the D-Day Memorial in Bedford.

As you can see from the video, Governor Warner has support for all kinds of folks all across Virginia. Having a strong presence across the commonwealth is important for this campaign and is necessary in helping us bring some Virginia-style independence and results to Washington.

Help our campaign all across Virginia by signing up to staff an event. Click here to select your region and sign up to represent our campaign at an festival or event near you.

'A businessman's point of view'

The Loudoun Times-Mirror ran an article this morning based on a recent trip by Governor Warner to the Times Community newspapers headquarters.

“My view of a fiscal conservative is someone who pays your bills on time and meets your obligations,” he said. “You don’t punt that to the next guy.” …

“I couldn’t imagine as a business guy that I would dismiss ideas because they have an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ attached to them,” he said.

Warner’s track record on bipartisanship is well known and as he talked last Thursday, he was still flying high from the recent endorsements of two of the state’s most prominent Republicans: former state Sen. John Chichester and former Del. Vince Callahan, the two most powerful men in the General Assembly under both Gilmore and Warner.

Click here to read the entire article, which also touches on Governor Warner’s energy proposals.

Real energy solutions

Recognizing that there is no single “silver bullet” to fix our nation’s energy crisis, Governor Warner today rejected the typical sound bite gimmicks that are being offered by some politicians these days.

In a speech before Richmond-area business executives, he offered both short and long-term solutions to help reduce the burden of high gas prices and help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Here is the round-up by WSLS-Ch. 10 in Roanoke:

In a speech at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, he said his short-term ideas include clamping down on market speculators who have artificially driven up the price of oil, and applying more pressure on oil-producing nations to increase production.

He said he supports exploratory drilling for natural gas and oil along the Atlantic coast but would leave the states to decide where to go from there.

By contrast, his opponent and fellow former governor Republican Jim Gilmore says he wants to drill for oil.

Warner’s long-term energy solutions include working with auto makers to raise fuel-efficiency standards and expanding domestic refining capacity.

Also, Warner told the group of about 60 people … that he supports responsible limits on carbon emissions and an increase in telecommuting and flexible work schedules to reduce driving. Energy is “one of the pre-eminent issues of our time,” he said.

Here is a summary of what he proposes:

Short-Term Solutions:

• Crackdown on oil speculators who are manipulating the market
• Apply pressure to OPEC nations to produce more, while empowering the Justice Department to crackdown on price gouging.
• Promote telecommuting and optional, flexible work schedules

Intermediate Solutions:

• Expanding a tax credit for hybrid and battery technology vehicles
• Dramatically increase our research and development, to encourage innovative new technologies and alternative sources
• Off-shore exploration in search of natural gas

Long-Term Solutions:

• Working with auto makers to raise fuel efficiency standards
• Upgrade and expand domestic refining capacity
• Implement cap-and-trade proposals to responsibly limit carbon emissions

Click here to view the press release.

Click here to learn more about Mark Warner’s real energy solutions

Herbert Hoover

By now, you've seen the ad about the budget mess that Mark Warner inherited. You learned how he adopted a business-minded approach to cut spending by targeting waste and inefficiency. And you watched as he worked across the aisle to pass a bipartisan tax reform package that turned our state around and saved our AAA bond rating.

But Jim Gilmore has repeatedly accused Mark Warner of lying. Gilmore says that Warner concocted a "myth" about the budget disaster - that there was "no" fiscal crisis, "no" budget shortfall, that it was all a grand conspiracy to deceive the people of Virginia -- and some of the state's leading Republicans were in on it.

After weeks of attacks by Jim Gilmore, yesterday's Washington Post finally called him out on his role in the budget disaster, noting that, "In Mr. Gilmore, Virginia had its very own Herbert Hoover." But we need your help to set the record straight. The sad truth about these kinds of attacks is they work -- unless they are thoroughly and unambiguously answered. That's why we need your help to let voters across the state know the truth about what really happened.

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The Post said that Gilmore's "muddle-headed policies and acerbic style of governance sapped Virginia's fiscal strength, undercut its tradition of good government and embroiled Richmond in the sort of toxic political strife that struck voters as an unwanted import from Washington."

Using "budgetary gimmickry and sleight of hand of the sort seldom seen in Virginia" the newspaper noted that Gilmore "refus[ed] to compromise on his car tax foolishness" and insisted on pushing it through "even after it became crystal clear that the repeal would drain hundreds of millions of dollars from the budget and cripple state finances."

It said that "he shrugged off specific, repeated and well grounded forecasts that Virginia was heading for an economic slowdown brought on by the bursting of the technology and stock market bubble -- a slump Mr. Gilmore simply denied."

Ultimately, the Post acknowledged that "the state's fiscal crisis ... fell to Mr. Warner, who succeeded Mr. Gilmore as governor."

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Thanks for your support. With your help, we'll hold Jim Gilmore accountable for his absurd attacks and send Mark Warner to the US Senate.

Convention Recap

We’re back from the 2008 Virginia State Democratic Convention, where Governor Warner officially became the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.

Our campaign was out in full force. We had a bunch of volunteers, interns and staff out at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, passing out stickers and signs.

Here’s what the Washington Post’s Tim Craig had to say:

It was one of Warner’s better public performances; he succeeded in rallying both Clinton and Obama supporters to their feet. ...

And, in classic Warner style, his campaign put on a colorful show.

All 2,000 activists at the convention were given a red, white and blue Warner signs.

Join our team and help us show that we’ve got a strong presence across the state.

Nominee

Our entire campaign was in Hampton yesterday, for the Virginia State Democratic Convention, as Governor Warner officially accepted the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Over 2,000 Democratic activists were in attendance, and the room was packed as supporters waved signs and cheered loudly as Governor Warner took the stage with his wife, Lisa Collis.

From the Virginian-Pilot:

“Elections are about choices, and in this election for the United States Senate, Virginians will have a clear choice,” Warner said. “My opponent and I stand in sharp contrast in style, vision and record.” ... Warner pledged to wean Americans of dependence on oil by supporting development of alternative energy sources. He said he would work to expand health care and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.

Here is more from the Associated Press:

Warner assailed the Bush White House for economic policies that he blamed for spiraling federal deficits, a bloated national debt and a dollar near all-time lows against other world currencies.

“And you know what my opponent says? Let’s have more of the same,” Warner said.

Gilmore has attacked Warner for opposing oil drilling in the Alaskan wilderness. On Saturday, Warner noted his aversion to drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is shared by John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Warner said it would take 10 years for new Alaskan wells to become productive, time the nation should spend exploring clean uses for coal, nuclear power, and solar and wind energy.

With no nominations to decide, the convention became a pep rally for Warner’s race. He was the only Democrat to repeatedly bring the crowd of more than 2,000 to its feet.

We’ll have pictures and videos from the convention soon.

Endorsement: GOP Budget Chairmen

Two Republicans who served as the chairmen of the budget committees in Virginia’s House of Delegates and State Senate publicly endorsed Governor Warner today in his bid for the U.S. Senate.

Delegate Vincent Callahan and Senator John Chichester both said their endorsements were based on Governor Warner’s record with fixing the state’s finances after inheriting a $6 billion budget shortfall.

The Washington Post interviewed Delegate Callahan this morning:

Callahan said Gilmore, Warner’s GOP opponent, misled legislators and the public about the state’s finances and the cost of his signature effort to eliminate the car tax when he was governor from 1998 to 2002.

“The figures Gilmore used were so utterly erroneous and far-fetched that they were mind-boggling,” said Callahan, who helped Gilmore push his car tax proposal through the House of Delegates in the late 1990s.

...

Gilmore and legislative leaders agreed to phase out the tax over five years. To make sure the state could afford it, they agreed to suspend the plan if revenue growth fell below 5 percent. In 2001, Chichester and Senate Republicans said the economy had slowed enough that they could not enact the fourth phase of the tax cut. But Callahan sided with Gilmore to keep it on track.

Callahan, who represented McLean from 1968 until this year, said he made a mistake because the Gilmore administration gave him bad information about state finances.

“I’ve never seen figures so far off the mark,” said Callahan, who called Warner “among the best governors” he served with during his 40-year career in the legislature.

Delegate Callahan and Senator Chichester joined Governor Warner on a conference call with reporters this afternoon. Here are audio excerpts from the call:

Governor Warner:

Delegate Callahan:

Senator Chichester:

Click here to view the press release of the endorsements.

UPDATED: Vivian Page has a good summary of the conference call:

Both Chichester and Callahan expressed some dismay at the direction of the Republican Party in Virginia is taking, with Callahan commenting that his and Chichester’s support of Warner is “just the tip of an iceberg,” indicating that they believe other Republicans will follow. Chichester chimed in that in his time he has seen a lot of “Virginians for…” groups – Virginians for Holton, Virginians for Robb, etc. – come into being. “Virginia is a centrist state and doesn’t tolerate extremes in either party, ” Chichester said.

...

Warner said he is anxious to get the campaign underway and compare his record to Gilmore’s. More important to Warner is what will happen going forward in dealing with the issues currently facing the country. Warner said he had a bipartisan approach when he was governor and he wants to take that approach to Washington.

Visiting Appomattox and Bedford

Governor Warner visited Appomattox and Bedford on Thursday and Friday to talk about deploying broadband in rural Virginia and to commemorate the 64th anniversary of D-Day during his latest Hometown Days stop in Central Virginia.

In Appomattox, Governor Warner attended one of the final meetings of the Broadband Roundtable he co-chairs, with participation from many of the industry’s leading representatives on technology and Internet connectivity. Governor Tim Kaine set up the task force last summer to bring high-speed Internet to Virginia’s rural communities and appointed Governor Warner and Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra as its chairs.

Broadband deployment is one of the issues Governor Warner believes must be addressed in order to keep America competitive in our global economy. He told WSLS-NBC10:

“This high-speed internet connection is absolutely key in terms of attracting 21st Century jobs. I believe is perhaps the single most important economic development tool we can use.”

While in Appomattox, Governor Warner took a stroll down Main Street, where he met with a crowd of locals and gave his pitch from the porch of the “Country Charm” store.

The next morning, he and two dozen Lynchburg-area bicyclists trekked 35 miles from Lynchburg to Bedford. The Lynchburg News & Advance’s Ray Reed joined the ride.

Riding without any vehicle escort that would indicate this was something more than a typical group of cyclists, Warner followed half a dozen riders who set the pace in front of him.

When the riders regrouped at a convenience store on Old Forest Road, a couple of them phoned their offices and found reasons to leave the ride.

“Those guys are peeling off before we get to the hills, right?” Warner asked.

Warner’s agenda for the ride included physical fitness and promoting natural resources, in addition to pushing his campaign against Republican Jim Gilmore for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner (no relation).

Turning west onto Coffee Road, the ride’s pace picked up. Heading downhill into a sharp curve, Warner braked noticeably.

After the exhausting ride – most of which was uphill in 95 degree humidity – Governor Warner joined veterans and their families at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford.

Friday marked the 64th anniversary of D-Day. Governor Warner layed a wreath at the memorial and greeted veterans and their families. Bedford County lost the most men per capita on D-Day. Bedford lost 19 of its 35 soldier sons in the first 15 minutes of the invasion on Normandy’s Omaha Beach – giving Bedford the highest casualty rate for its population of any place in the United States during the D-Day invasion.

Here are pictures from the trip:

Free Lance-Star: "A decidely pragmatic approach"

The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star ran an editorial on Sunday praising Governor Warner’s Senate ideas. The editorial is based on a visit by Governor Warner to the Free Lance Star newsroom last week.

They say that Governor Warner “presents a decidedly pragmatic approach” to our most pressing issues:

He favors a “portfolio” approach to energy reform. Our continuing dependence on oil is “postponing the inevitable,” he said; meanwhile, we’re falling behind other nations in developing alternative energy forms and using energy wisely.

The editorial summarizes Governor Warner’s ideas on fixing our energy crisis and addressing our failing infrastructure. They conclude with a reaction to this quote:

He added: “People want you to get something done that has more to do with them than it does your political agenda.”

That may be just what gridlocked Capitol Hill needs to hear.

Here is the entire editorial: