Republicans seemed quite happy today when the news broke out of Virginia, that Senator Jim Webb will not run for a second term in the U.S. Senate. This isn't shocking, as Webb is a Democrat who once worked for Reagan, and the hyper-partisan Hill atmosphere probably wore him down. Republicans think this means the seat is their's to take, especially with former Senator George Allen in the race already, six years after losing to Webb. Well, not so fast. President Obama and Senator Warner won this state in 2008. Allen only won his seat in 2000 with 52% of the vote. Senator Webb would appear to have been in decent re-election shape starting out. Congressman Tom Perriello looks to be in competitive shape if he ran. Governor and DNC Chairman Tim Kaine appears to be the Democratic silver bullet in the state though. Kaine beats all of the Republicans running, including the front-running Allen, by more than the margin of error. With President Obama boosting turnout in Northern Virginia and the beach region, and with Kaine's popularity around the state being solid, he appears capable of turning a tough race into a potential victory. All Kaine has to do is decide to run. The President should nudge him into it.
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