On November 7, 2006, Virginians will have the opportunity to elect one of our two US Senators. The seat is currently occupied by George Allen (R). The Virginian-Pilot today has an article on Allen, who appears to be simultaneously running for re-election and for the Republican nomination for president.
Mentioned in the article is the upcoming June 13 Democratic primary, in which the challenger to Allen will be chosen. Long-time party supporter Harris Miller and former Navy Secretary Jim Webb are vying for the nomination. In a straw poll conducted March 17 in Northern VA, Webb beat Miller by 58% to 42%.
Straw polls in NoVA don’t mean the decision has been made. Primaries have notoriously low turnout. The local votes cast in the June 2005 Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor totalled 21,074, as follows:
Chesapeake: 2,420 votes
Suffolk: 778 votes
Portsmouth: 4,279 votes
Newport News: 1,585 votes
Hampton: 4,936 votes
Virginia Beach: 3,005 votes
Norfolk: 4,071 votes
By contrast, just the votes cast in Arlington County (4,096) and Fairfax County (19,045) exceed the vote totals of the seven cities in Hampton Roads. With both candidates hailing from NoVA, the decision on who the Democratic nominee will be could very well be made there – that is, unless Hampton Roads citizens get out and vote.
So unless you want NoVA to make the decision for us, I urge you to inform yourselves about the candidates in this election.
Harris Miller’s website can be found here.
Jim Webb’s website can be found here.
George Allen’s website can be found here.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
There is even more info on James Webb on his literary website: http://www.jameswebb.com
This site existed long before his candidacy. I saw it long before he entered the race, and the site has not been altered since then other than the addition of a link to his Senate campaign site. Many of his speeches and writings are found within it.
Did you get that info from my post on NLS, Viv? Looks pretty identical.
The point I was making is that Webb will most likely do VERY well in that area. Miller will need to counter with a strong showing in Fairfax to win. The straw poll just shows that it may not be so easy. In this primary Webb will do well in SWVA and Hampton Roads, most likely. Miller needs to create a NoVAn juggernaut. A Byrne-Chap-Webb alliance may make it hard for Miller to do that.
Your post prompted me to write this one, with your info as well as the info on the SBE website.
I understand your point. But the point I’m making is that our cities need to get informed and get involved. We can’t afford to allow NoVA to make our decisions – we need to participate. This is directed to those people who are outside of the “usual suspects” who make the rounds of the various blogs.
The greatest concern for the Webb camp in the Webb v. Miller competition was Northern Virginia. Webb grew up in southside, Miller has no cred there. Webb’s a proven champion of Military interests, perhapse one of the nation’s greatest, Miller has no cred there. In terms of delivering minority voters and the Capitol region there’s a lot to say about Webb, and Miller has very little claim.
Besides the fact that Webb championed the commission of the ONLY African American statue on the National Mall in Washington DC (at the Viet Nam Memorial). He also wrote the following in 2004:
“the greatest realignment in modern politics would take place rather quickly if the right national leader found a way to bring the Scots-Irish and African Americans to the same table, and so to redefine a formula that has consciously set them apart for the past two centuries.”
So, it was Northern Virginia that was the greatest threat to the Webb candidacy. After Friday, that threat has gone away. Harris Miller was the party chair in Fairfax, he has been actively contributing to Democrats in the area for 30 years. He should have lost 2 to 1, yet Webb was able to walk in to Miller’s house and win a poll of active party Dems by 16%.
Virginia will look closely at James Webb, but this candidacy is unlike anything Democrats have seen in a long time. If Virginia goes blue, it could swing the power of the Senate.
If only a few other “purple” states go blue, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, NC… we could be looking at an enduring Democratic Majority. In order to make that a reality, Democrats must compete in rural areas and win back less-educated, lower income, white males without breaking the current coalition.
Webb can and will do just that. The man is “Secretariat”
I do agree with you that shouldn’t allow NoVA to make all the decisions for us. As a Virginia Beach Man, I don’t like it when Democrats in Hampton Roads get ignored. However, the population in NoVA is so large, and there a LOT of Democratic Voters. Though Hampton Roads CAN have an effect on the campaign, it will most likely be decided in NoVA. Until Friday, I assumed the Webb Campaign would have to dominate in HR just to counter Fairfax. Now, I think Webb will either win Fairfax, or at very least keep it close enough that Harris will have to win every major area in NoVA to win.
If I recall correctly, Leslie Byrne managed to win the Lt Gov nomination last year without even stepping foot in HR. (Understand that I like Byrne.) HR has a lot of D voters, too, and I just don’t want us to be ignored in the process. Plus, even if Webb is the nominee, I want us to have a voice. So my plea is for HR voters to get informed and involved now, not once the D nominee has been already decided.
Webb will be down in Hampton Roads during the primary. You can bet on it. He’s going to need that area to beat George Allen. He knows that he’s going to have to start building a base down there early. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of him once he starts getting some military endorsements to join him. Plus, I think Webb and Kellam would make a hell of a team. Kellam can show Webb everything he needs to know about the area, and Webb can help Kellam in the only area Kellam is weak at; Military. What can Miller do for Kellam? Nothing. If I were the Kellam campaign, I’d be praying for a Webb victory right about now.
Vivian: Just a small correction. I spent lots of time in Hampton Roads during the Lt. Gov. Primary and still count many of the friends I made there as close advisors. I will be working with them and hopefully you, to support Jim Webb. Jim is going to be a great Virginia Senator! Regards, Leslie Byrne
I love it when folks from NoVA dismiss Hampton Roads as not an area in play. Thanks Vivian, you’ve given me something to blog about today.
Leslie: Good to hear from you. Let me rephrase. I should have said:”I didn’t see Leslie nor Puckett in HR during the primary.” As you know, I ran in that same primary. I saw plenty of Chap and Viola during that time.
And I haven’t made up my mind yet on who to support. I’m sure you and I will be working together on the eventual nominee!