Posted on 06/12/2020 4:24:59 AM PDT by Kaslin
Should Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) worry about his seat come November?
In 2014, he barely cruised to re-election by under a percentage point against Republican challenger Ed Gillespie—a race that stunned political observers everywhere. Now, the self-described “radical centrist” and senior Virginia senator is banking on his political transformation to secure a third term.
Warner’s seat is listed as “Solid Democratic” by Cook Political Report and “Safe Democratic” by Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball. But he must answer for voting 84 percent of the time with Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and why he, previously the wealthiest U.S. Senator, believes capitalism doesn’t work anymore.
Warner, however, does appear to have a serious challenger in retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Gade. Gade is one of three listed Republican candidates voters can choose from on June 23rd, Virginia’s rescheduled Primary Day.
I recently visited the first-time candidate at his Mount Vernon-area home to learn about the campaign and his strategy to take Mark Warner head-on.
A First-Time Candidate Ready for a Challenge
Gade, a former Trump administration political appointee and current professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs, admits winning will be an uphill battle given Warner’s fundraising advantage and name recognition. But he is not deterred.
The first-time candidate is expected to prevail on June 23rd. Beyond that, recent Republican gains in local elections and Richmond’s overreach on guns, for example, leave him feeling encouraged about his prospects against the incumbent come fall.
Like many Northern Virginia residents, the North Dakota native is a transplant to the Commonwealth of Virginia yet he said it’s been fairly easy connecting with voters here. He may reside in Fairfax County, he said, but his heart is in Shenandoah Valley.
He told me Virginia voters, regardless of party, want a candidate who’ll get the government off their backs.
“The fact that individuals should be allowed to thrive and that government should get out of the way and let individuals thrive, is not something for just Republicans,” said Gade. “It’s something for Republicans and Independents and Democrats. Green people and libertarians.”
I then asked him about current events, specifically recent protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death and discussions about policing reforms.
Gade said calls to defund the police are ridiculous and added Senator Warner should immediately condemn a field staffer of his who claimed “cops are never fair.” He’s also open to reforming qualified immunity and police unions.
On The Issues
Gade told me his top issues include discouraging insider trading, reining in the regulatory state, and modernizing the War Powers Act of 1973, which has been historically abused by the executive branch.
“War should be hard to go to,” Gade said. “It shouldn’t be easy. And if we’re going to go, we should go whole-hog. We should go in there. There are people in the world who are bad people who need to be killed. I’ve killed some of them. I don’t have any problem doing that. I do have a problem with us not being committed. You can’t sit on the fence with war. You go or you don’t go. Half-way measures don’t work.”
The candidate also supports gun rights, the right-to-life, and is passionate about helping his fellow veterans. His website lists support for free-market policies, a strong national defense, and limited government principles.
His Plan to Unite Virginia Voters, Break the GOP Losing Streak
I also asked Gade about the elephant in the room: how Republican candidates can be viable again here in Virginia given the state’s leftward shift in recent years.
The task may be challenging, he said, but it’s not impossible.
His plan is to reach and appeal to both avowed Trump supporters and non-supporters who’ve soured on Senator Warner— a challenge for recent failed senatorial contenders here.
“I have no problem supporting this President when he’s right, and I have no problem, when elected, talking to him when he’s wrong,” he added.
In past successful statewide contests here, Republican candidates who clinched about 45 percent of the vote in Northern Virginia counties, on top of overperforming elsewhere, went on to win. This worked for former Governor Bob McDonnell, the last Republican to serve in the Executive Mansion before leaving office in 2013. McDonnell, Gade said, is an informal advisor and supporter of his campaign.
Gade said his message of “unity” can bring together divided Virginia Republicans and equally attract independents and disaffected Democrats.
“When Republicans run very divisive campaigns, that’s when they turn off indies and moderate Democrats,” he said, indirectly throwing shade at Corey Stewart—the divisive and controversial “retired” former lawmaker who handily lost to Senator Tim Kaine in 2018.
Current endorsements for Gade have come from former Governor George Allen, E.W. Jackson, Leadership Institute founder Morton Blackwell, Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), just to name a few.
Can a political shakeup rock Virginia, despite Democrats being favored here? Time will tell. The current environment could be ripe for the picking.
Should Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) worry about his seat come November?
In Virginia? No.
Sad but true. VA thanks to demographics is forever blue like Colorado.
"Must answer"? Will his opponent raise $10 million+ to make him answer those questions?
Yep. Efforts would be better directed toward taking back some of those congressional seats lost in 2018 and watering down Pelosis dominance in the House.
The anomaly of 2014 notwithstanding, Warner is revered nearly on the same level as God here in Virginia.
Skid Mark is one ugly dude.
Yep.. that he is.
Skid Mark. I like it!
The flaw I see is that he thinks democrats and greens want the government off their back. They’re the ones pushing for more government.
Ready to be proven wrong and see Warner thrown out of office?
Gonna make it happen, just you watch.
Your lips to God’s ears
I hope so I’ll be with you in spirit I can’t vote in Virginia but good luck.
“Gade” was it?
He has been completely absent from the local media.
Gilmore came close to beating Warner because he is a business oriented, establishment Republican, the only kind that has a chance of winning state-wide in Virginia.
When they nominated people like Cucinnelli that are meant to appear to religious whackos they lose.
That’s how Virginia has always rolled and will continue to
In every election there are a lot of folks that don’t turn out to vote. I think Trump will get a lot of them to get to the polls in Nov. That is on top of a lot of conservatives that are really pissed off at what the dems have been trying to do in this state. Many of those will make up the dems for Trump and Gade.
Capitalism doesn't work as well these days because Senators like him get paid off to tip the scales in favor of big business and to heavily regulate what used to be a free market place.
What is the old saying? "Don't pi$$ on me and tell me it's raining."
Ive lived in VA for 25 years and know this state well. The filth in NoVa will carry Warner, just as they do all other statewide dems. I appreciate your optimism, but this isnt a red state anymore.
Gilmore came close to beating Warner because he is a business oriented, establishment Republican, the only kind that has a chance of winning state-wide in Virginia.
You may be thinking of the Gillespie challenge to Warner in 2014. Gilmore lost by 20% to Warner during the Year of the Anointed in 2008.
There’s kind of a disconnect between “getting government off our backs” and “ending insider trading.” Most insider trading is simply market efficiency. Milton Friedman would flip in his grave.
And then there’s being in a position of influence to manipulate the market.
That’s true enough. I wish they could do something about commoditizing extremely risky assets and then selling them in secondary markets, like CMOs, CDSs, etc.
I just can’t think of a way government could reign it in without making it worse.
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