He’s going to lose because the RPV didn’t understand the game, and so let Warner leave office with an extremely high approval rating, and then left him alone and failed to attack him when he ran for Senate the first time.
The democrats understand the game, and how you tear down every possible candidate ahead of time, which is why none of our republican former governors are viable, even though every one of them did a better job at leading our state than the last three democrats in that office, two of whom are now Senators.
Becoming the Party of Work-- How the GOP can help struggling Americans, and itself. by Jeff Sessions