The Virginia Air and Space Museum in Hampton was the location of Thursday night’s reception for John Miller. Former governor and Senate candidate Mark Warner was the special guest. People from all over the 1st District gathered in support of Miller. While there were some familiar faces, 
there were a number of people there who were new to politics, inspired by Miller’s campaign. Among them were Leroy & Shirley Gross from Yorktown (by way of DC and St. Louis) who had not previously met Miller. I also talked with a few Republicans. (Yes, Ms. Stall. There are Republicans who are supporting John!)
Of course, some of the usual suspects were there as well, including attorney Carter Phillips from Hampton, and Mathews County School Board candidate Jen Little. Oh yeah – and bunches of 
elected Democrats, who I’m not about to name because I’m sure to miss somebody 🙂 (Hmm – let’s see how good my memory is – Del. Kenny Alexander, Del. Jeion Ward, Del. Mayme BaCote, Sen. Mamie Lock, former Del. Flora Crittendon, Newport News Mayor Joe Frank, Commissioner of the Revenue Ross Mugler, Hampton Councilmember Angela Leary – did I miss anybody? 😉 )
Mark Warner arrived a little later than expected and, after 
being greeted by Miller (bet that was one of the few times Warner looked up at someone 😉 ), promptly began to mingle with the guests. After a bit, we all gathered in front of a space capsule and listened as Miller gave a campaign update. Things are going well for the Miller campaign and John continues to work hard every day. John thanked all of us for being there and supporting him, singling out Cynthia Andrews, the widow of former Senator Hunter Andrews, for special recognition.
Warner 
gave a speech as well, indicating just how important to Virginia this race is. (I actually videotaped both speeches and once I get the video converted and adjusted – the lighting was quite poor – I’ll post it.) He said that this is the most important race in Virginia.
No doubt a great time was had by all. With just a little over a month to go, Miller seems poised to take this seat. But he still needs our help so volunteer and contribute.
Technorati Tags: John Miller, Mark Warner, VA Senate
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Thanks for the great coverage Vivian … sorry I could not be there … I’ll have to remember John’s trick for quickly growing taller than Mark Warner (take the high ground!)
sorry I missed it. I know all of john’s new friends and supporters were impressed by his knowledge and insight.
thanks viv for the photos.
I am sure that getting the Party faithful around was invigorating for all concerned. However, John Miller is running in a gerrymandered district that favors the Republicans by about twenty per cent. If all of the First District Democrats turn out and vote for John, but few Republicans vote for him, then John will win the Democratic vote, but not the race.
What is needed, is for all of the Democrats that can spare the time, to get out in the heavily Republican areas and make some new conservative friends.
If given the facts about what a stellar candidate John Miller is, WITHOUT slamming Republicans or talking about the long list of shortcomings of the rude, Tricia Stall, then Democratic activists have a good chance of winning crossover votes for John Miller.
Republicans want efficient government, so does John Miller.
Republican voters want the RTAs and abuser fees repealed, so does John Miller.
Republicans want government to focus on core functional areas without simply tossing money at problems, so does John Miller.
Republican voters want to be represented by a polished gentleman who can work constructively across the aisle to really solve problems; that is John Miller.
If Democratic campaign volunteers stick to talking about the common ground issues with their Republican neighbors, then we all will agree that John Miller is the best choice for our votes in November.
If the campaign sticks to just turning out the Democratic vote, then you are doomed to failure. If you focus on winning the crossover contest, then the election will be won by John Miller. If John Miller wins, then Virginians win.
Claierese – I think you missed the part where I said I talked to a few Republicans. No, there were no elected Republicans there – because even if they do privately support John, they cannot do so publicly. That’s just the rule of politics. But to think that this event was a roundup of the party faithful would be very far from the truth.
John has very broad support, as evidenced by those gathered last night.
Tricia Stall has demonstrated that her words and actions are in total conflict. She says she opposes the HRTA and then embraces the endorsement and financial support from Senators Tommy Norment and Ken Stolle, the Senate architects of the HRTA plan. Stall says she is against higher taxes, but she stands side-by-side with Senators Tommy Norment and Ken Stolle, the Senate architects of Mark Warner’s $1.4 billion tax increase in 2004. Stall is proving that her words are hollow and she is so desperate that she will forego any sense of principle to win her election. If Stall cannot be trusted now, why should any voter think she can be trusted after Nov. 6. My vote will be for John Miller on Nov. 6.
Wow, good points NotAnneCoulter!
Stall is so deperate right now that she is throwing out the lies and deceptions at record pace. You’d think she had Brian Kirwin working her campaign, the rate the nonsense has picked up. Miller has out raised her money wise by 5 to 1. The polls show Stall would only get 30% of the vote if it had been held on October 1st. Now she drives away her only real supporter, Tom Gear, so she can buddy up to the very people who sent mailers out just 60-days ago that said, “Tricia Stall is unfit for public office”. But she wants Stolle and Norment’s money so desperately that she kicked Gear to the wayside. What a pitiful candidate Stall has become. She claims she signed a “no tax” pledge, but went on Tony Macreeny on WNIS on 6/7/07 and said, “I’ll raise the gas tax for transportation”. She can’t keep her stories straight, from one day to the next. Her unprincipled slanderous attack on Miller claiming he’s “Dishonest” was a low point, even for Stall. I’ll be glad when the election is over and we can all forget about Tricia Stall and her flip-flopping ways!
it is sad, isn’t it? who is running her campaign?
Can’t remember her name, but she is a Regent University grad and was hand picked by Bob McDonnell. You know the same Bob McDonnell who negotiated the Regional Transportation Authority plan that Stall claims she is so against? The same HRTA that Stolle and Norment, Stall’s new best buddies, pushed through the Senate! You can’ t be in bed with this bunch and then turn around and claim you are against “regional government” and “taxes”.
Are you sure “KillemKirwin” isn’t running her campaign. I haven’t seen so many mis-steps since Nixon said, “I am not a crook”. What a disaster. Miller should take this seat by a very big majority.