By MICHAEL D. SHEAR -- a demorat surrendered
2:10 p.m. | Updated Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia, has decided not to run for re-election, avoiding a blockbuster rematch with the man he beat in 2006, George Allen, and giving Senate Republicans another opportunity to help them reclaim the majority.
In a statement, Mr. Webb said that he had “decided to return to the private sector, where I have spent most of my professional life, and will not seek re-election in 2012.”
The announcement is a disappointment to Democrats and a blow to President Obama and Tim Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who had urged Mr. Webb, in his first term, to run again.
There had been rumblings for weeks that Mr. Webb — a former Navy secretary who was once a Republican — would choose not to continue in the Senate. But Mr. Webb and his staff had remained tight-lipped.
In his statement, Mr. Webb cited his work on a G.I. Bill, changes to the criminal justice system and efforts to improve relations with southeast Asia as accomplishments he was proud of.
“Notwithstanding this decision, I have every intention of remaining involved in the issues that affect the well being and the future of our country,” Mr. Webb said.
Mr. Webb defeated Mr. Allen in 2006 in a race perhaps best remembered for an incident in which Mr. Allen, then the incumbent, was caught on videotape calling a young, Democratic operative of Indian descent “macaca.”
That controversy helped Mr. Webb win a narrow victory and ended Mr. Allen’s hopes of competing for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. But last month, Mr. Allen announced plans to challenge Mr. Webb to reclaim his seat.
Mr. Allen now faces a challenge from a Tea Party activist, Jamie Radtke, for the Republican nomination.
On the Democratic side, attention now turns squarely to Mr. Kaine, who served four years as governor and could be a natural choice to run against Mr. Allen next year. His popularity in the state would make him a formidable candidate.
Mr. Kaine has repeatedly said he would remain as chairman of the Democratic Party, but an appeal by the president and party leaders could change his mind.
Mr. Kaine issued a statement Wednesday praising Mr. Webb’s service but avoiding saying anything about his own future.
“I had hoped that Senator Webb, having worked tirelessly to help elect him in 2006, would run for re-election and continue his service in the Senate,” Mr. Kaine said. “With the investments that President Obama and the Democratic Party will make in Virginia in 2012, I am confident that our party will hold on to this Senate seat in 2012.”
Senator Patty Murray of Washington, chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement:
The people of Virginia have been well represented in the United States by two Democratic senators who are fierce advocates for their state. As Republicans face a brutal primary between a flawed Washington establishment candidate and a right-wing extremist who is raising money at a good clip, Democrats will field a strong candidate.
Republicans in Washington said Mr. Webb’s decision makes Virginia a vulnerable seat for Democrats, who, after November’s election, had their majority trimmed to 51-47 (with two independents who caucus with the Democrats).
In a statement, Mr. Allen said: “I respect Senator Webb’s service to our country and the very personal decision that he and his family have made. I did not enter into this race to run against any one person, but to fight for the families of Virginia to improve their opportunities in life.”
Brian Walsh, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said that “we can only hope that Democrats succeed in recruiting President Obama’s No. 1 cheerleader in Washington — Tim Kaine.”
But Mr. Kaine may not run, forcing Virginia’s Democratic Party to find another candidate to challenge Mr. Allen. Brian Moran, the chairman of the state’s Democratic Party, said in an interview that “my life just got a little bit more complicated.”
Among the possible challengers that have been mentioned: Tom Perriello, who spent two years as a member of Congress from southern Virginia but lost his re-election bid last year. Also, some have suggested that Terry McAuliffe, who lost a bid to be the Democratic nominee for governor in 2009, could run for Senate, though he is believed to want to try again for the state’s chief executive job.
Ed Gillespie, a Republican strategist for President George W. Bush who served a brief stint as the chairman of the Republican Party in Virginia, said in a Twitter message that Democrats will have a tough time finding a challenger. He wrote:
Jim Webb retirement good news for va gops. He was beatable, but less so than anyone else dems can field.
. |
