Posted on 06/13/2006 6:38:49 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
Webb, a former Reagan administration Navy secretary who left the Republican Party over the Iraq war, won the Democratic nomination Tuesday to take on GOP Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) in the fall.
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Webb defeated lobbyist and longtime Democratic Party activist Harris Miller after a bruising primary in which voters decided between a traditional and unabashed liberal (Miller) and a former Republican (Webb) whose populist campaign was aimed at so-called Reagan Democrats — namely, rural, white moderates.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting, Webb had 73,031 votes, or 54 percent, compared with 61,566 votes, or 46 percent, for Miller. Except for the Washington suburbs, turnout was paltry across Virginia, a state unaccustomed to primaries. The last Democratic Senate primary was in 1994.
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A referendum on Iraq, eh? Allen still wins by a mile. Sorry guys.
The uncounted votes are in the DC suburbs, so the margin will narrow, but Webb is the nominee. However, the primary between Webb and Miller got so nasty, it may have damaged the value of the nomination itself.
The libs a grasping for news to prevent them from crying so hard that they wet themselves.
Still, Webb will be a bit more difficult to trounce in the General.
If allen can't beat webb he doesnt deserve to run for president
Yeah, a bit. But they're still grasping at straws. A Republican that 'left the party over the Iraq war' is lame and everyone knows it. These guys are wet toast.
Webb will be vacationing with Paul Hackett and Francine Busby.
actually, the margin for Webb will widen, as NoVa is his strongest area, except possibly for some mountain counties where he has family ties (see his book, "Born Fighting" -- a history of the Scots-Irish in America). Outside of NoVa, Miller actually had a modest majority.
You don't think the endorsement from Chuck Schumer will play well in Virginia? :)
Another example of conservatives values winning. Even when stated by a Democrat.
That's a cheerful thought.
Yeah, I'm thinking that might be kind of a liability :D
Rooting for Allen in '06!!
Quite possibly in '08 too but that's still a ways out there.
I remember Webb as Sec'y of the Navy speaking out for the "man at the end of the line" in the chain of command. Even if we disagree with him on Iraq or other issues, would it be so bad to have folks like him in the opposition?
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
I don't think the nomination had much value to begin with.
Anyone notice how Virginia had almost all the votes counted less than hour after the polls closed, while last week a single Congressional District in California could not tally half the votes by midnight (I assume that was four hours after the polls closed.)
Does San Diego still count votes by hand?
If I was in Virginia, I would vote for Webb. I've admired him for many years, especially his writing on Vietnam where he was a true War Hero and I loved his book on the Scots-Irish. He is a throwback to the Conservative Southern Democrats of yore. He's not afraid of his Confederate Heritage either.
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