[billhilly]

I love how everyone assumes Bush will expose himself in public to the nut jobs that are out there in the country, who would love to take a shot at him. In addition, what makes you think bush is the guy that would matter. Either the state likes the candidate or they don't. You would also have to have proof through polling that public appearances by Bush would make a difference. Do you know that? I am sure the Earley campaign did/does. What have they said about Bush's absence on the stump? Are they complaining? Could it be that Earley ran a bad campaign...had ideas that didn't sell?

Good points. Virginians, of whom I am proud to be (recently )counted[1958]) only got around to electing republicans in the late sixties. Since then they have pretty much evenly split their vote for Governor between the two parties. Since Virginia's Governors may not succeed themselves, it works pretty well. One Governor during that time, and the last one before the first Republican in 88 years (Linwood Holton) was elected, was Miles Godwin. He got around the four year term limit by running the second time (after Holton's term) as a republican. He was elected, and as most Virginians will recall, he was the same conservative Virginian the second time around.

We got J. Sargeant Reynolds, Scion of the Reynolds Tobacco family, and Chuck Robb, husband of the daughter of Lyndon Johnson, as Lt. Governors, both Democrats. Reynolds died before becoming Governor, but Robb did become Governor, then Senator. Someone named Baylillse(as unremarkable as my spelling of his name), and Douglas Wilder, the nations first black Governor. These are the Democrats that I remember as Governors of Virginia.

We republicans had Holton, then Godwin, then Dalton and Allen. Gilmore, our most recent, is now the chairman of the RNC.

[cogitator]

As you said, every four years, Virginia elects a new governor.

I know that I was, like many others, certainly not at all glad to find out that last night, pseudo-conservative Warner had in fact won. I expect that Governor Warner will take Gilmore's outstanding legacy and put it where only his over-inflated, publically pretentious ego permits it. Looking ahead, the true citizens of Virginia, who are the GOP's worthiest and best representatives, must protect interests that we share. Of these, I think the most important are state programs for education, emphasizing identification of systems that actually work! The kind which are composed of a clearly wrong ideology are those that never determine which student deserves encouragement and incentive to achieve and succeed.

Be vigilant; we are honored for our efforts.

Start planning now for 2002. In Maryland (where I live) there could be major battles brewing.