Former Virginia Gov. and Republican Senatorial candidate Jim Gilmore concedes his Virginia U.S. Senate race last night.
RICHMOND, Va. -- As the red ties and red blouses of Virginia's 7th district republican constituents drifted out of the Richmond Marriott West election night party in Salon A, they left behind empty red wine glasses, wilted red balloons and their hope for another Republican in the Oval Office.
Despite the results, Republican voices seemed undeterred and had found solace in an unanticipated aspect of an arduous national campaign: unity.
"We fought against incredible odds this year, absolutely incredible odds. We have never seen a campaign like this in Virginia, and it has by far not been a level playing field," said Jeff Frederick, chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, while addressing the Republican constituents. "But I'm extremely, notwithstanding, I'm extremely encouraged and extremely proud of our party and the work that all of you have done over the last many months."
Shouts erupted as Brit Hume announced on the dual projection screens in the front of the room that Barack Obama had won the commonwealth of Virginia. It is the first time for a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
"This was a tough year. We had every single thing stacked against us, with the war in Iraq, a fiscal crisis of an unprecedented nature, the first one of its kind in 80 years," said Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell. "We were offset terribly in Virginia, we had a president whose popularity ratings weren't so good. Everything you could put on there that you don't want to have in this cycle like this, we had stacked against us."
Former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore, a Republican who served in the state capital from 1998 to 2002, lost the senate seat which will be vacated by thirty-year Republican veteran John Warner, to Mark Warner, a Democrat. He said he has not lost his fervor for the Grand Old Party, and believes conservative leadership will reign again in the commonwealth and the nation.
"I think it's good, I think the state of the Republican Party is good," Gilmore said. "The party in the past has been very divided and I think it has more unity, its core group now has more unity than I've seen in years and years and years."
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I wonder if Mark Warner has a sore foot this morning. It's easy to bruise yourself when you spend all night kicking the crap out of somebody. How awesome is it that Mark Warner not only defeated Jim Gilmore, but he did so in a manner that certainly ended Gilmore's political career.
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Congrats to the three fabulous CT reporters in Richmond on your first presidential election coverage. Well done.
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The Virginia Republican party will return. A few years of Obama may work to our advantage.
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