We don’t know for sure if Marky Mark will run.
There was a ~reason~ he withdrew from the Presidential race. That reason is still out there.
Quite frankly, it may come down to how bloody the GOP primary is. IMHO, look for a convention, not a primary. That’s usually a bad move for us. But it would play in Jim Gilmore’s favor.
On the GOP side this will play out between Jim Gilmore and Tom Davis.
So who would be Davis’ replacement (to run that is)?
Jim Gilmore has experience running statewide in VA. He was elected as Attorney General and Governor. However, VA suffered deficits in the state budget under Gilmore. Resulting in the election of Mark Warner. Marky Mark could claim that he had to fix the fiscal mess Gilmore left.
Tom Davis represents Fairfax County, a NoVA county trending Blue. Davis is sharp about political strategy. His work as NRCC chairman helped the GOP keep Congress in 2000. The problem is, he is a bit too liberal for many conservative tastes.