I had a great time at the Republican Advance this weekend. The Presidential campaigns were in full swing. I had the honor of joining Speaker Howell in escorting Mrs. Janet Huckabee, wife of the Presidential candidate, as she meet with Virginia Republicans.
Gilmore is running for the US Senate and had a large sign and staff presence. As I predicted last week, Chris Saxman will not challenge Gilmore but is instead creating an exploratory committee to run for Lt Governor in 2009.
What I find interesting is that according to the morning paper, Saxman has formed a Federal PAC. That seems a bit strange if you want to run for a State office since there are more fundraising restrictions. Could it be that Saxman is hedging his bets in case Bill Bolling runs for re-election in 2009? Could he be focused on a Federal run in 2012? He could challenge freshman Senator Jim Webb. Or, with redistricting in 2011, he could have an opportunity to run for a US Congressional seat.
Saxman’s short lived Senate bid certainly elevated his profile. It worked this time but I don’t know if party activists will be as forgiving if his Lt Governor run turns out to be a Federal race.
To the detriment of our party, that leaves Gilmore as the only official candidate for the Senate. I heard concern from many over the weekend that Gilmore just can’t win this seat. We as Republicans need a choice and can only hope another potential candidate comes forward.
Tomorrow, I plan to examine the 2009 Governor's race.
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