Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) contributed to Democratic Party gains last night, winning a Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. John Warner.
With 98.03 percent of the precincts reporting as of 2:30 a.m., Warner had received than 64.21 percent of the vote compared to the 34.48 percent received by his opponent, former Republican Gov. Jim Gilmore. Warner’s margin of victory was even wider in Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville, where he brought in 69 percent and 83 percent of votes, respectively.
At about 9:15 p.m., Gilmore, who was Virginia’s governor from 1998 to 2002, announced to his supporters at a rally in Richmond that he had called Warner, who served as governor from 2002 to 2006, to concede the election.
“The people of Virginia have spoken and he will represent [them],” Gilmore said. “This is a moment that is going to be a decisive change.”
Meanwhile at a victory party in Northern Virginia, Warner’s supporters were chanting “Warner, Warner” and “Yes we can.”
“We’re going to have a Senate where we get things done,” Webb said. “This is Mark Warner’s night, this is Obama’s night, this is the Democratic Party’s night. This is America’s night.”
Standing in front of a crowd of hundreds of people, Warner said that by electing him, Virginians chose a senator who will focus on delivering results and not rhetoric.
“Virginians understand at this critical moment for our nation that we’re not going to get our country on the right path if we continue to look at every problem with the old idea of Red versus Blue, or left versus right,” he said.
Gilmore also noted that this is a significant time for America and said he will remain committed to bettering the commonwealth, as well as the nation as a whole.
“My intention is to continue to speak out on those issues [that face Virginia and the country],” Gilmore said. “There are going to be major issues that come before us.”
As senator, Warner vowed to provide the right leadership not only for Virginia, but for the country as well. While the nation may be facing challenges, Warner said, America can overcome them by looking ahead to the future and leaving old political divisions in the past.
“There is nothing we can’t accomplish as Americans first and foremost,” he said. “This is one step to getting our country in the right direction.”
Warner’s victory comes as no surprise, said Dan Keyserling, deputy director of communications for the Center for Politics and former Cavalier Daily executive editor. Keyserling said Warner was able to identify more with Virginians than Gilmore, and as Warner emerged as a political “heavyweight,” Gilmore receded into the background.
“He really does not have the bipartisan appeal that Warner did and does,” Keyserling said, adding that Warner’s governorship was characterized by an improvement in transportation, Virginia’s infrastructure, bipartisan cooperation and overall prosperity.
“For most Virginians, the memory of Mark Warner as a results-oriented governor is still fresh,” he said.
Some University students agreed that Warner was much more effective as governor than Gilmore.
“I felt his record as governor was much better than Gilmore’s record,” third-year Engineering student Antonio Perez said.
That memory of a governor who accomplished key goals translated into a huge victory for Warner.
“With margins like that, that especially represents a sort of fundamental preference for one candidate over another,” Keyserling said.
Warner’s election marks the first time since 1970 that Virginia will have two Democratic senators simultaneously.
“The temptation is to say that Virginia has become more liberal and to an extent that’s true,” Keyserling said. “But I think it’s more accurate to say that ... the Democratic Party of Virginia has positioned itself to appeal to this broad range of moderate voters.”
In the overall Senate elections, Democrats had captured five Senate seats and Republicans had lost nine as of press time. This gave Democrats a Senate majority of 56 seats, while Republicans hold 40 seats and independents have 2. The remaining four races were too close to call as of 2:30 a.m.
At a student viewing party, University students waited for election returns in anticipation of all races except for the race for Virginia’s Senate seat. Students said they were not surprised that Warner won by a large margin. Nevertheless, it was still “awesome to see [his victory],” third-year College student Brit Shean said.
Others who wished to see Virginia remain Red, however, were hesitant about giving the Democrats a majority in the Senate.
“That worries me,” first-year College student Jackie White said. “A lot of them are more radical, and I don’t know what they’d do.”
Democratic gains in the Senate, such as Warner’s seat, and the election of a Democratic president bodes well for Democrats’ goals in the upcoming term, Keyserling noted.
“Democratic initiatives are going to have a lot easier time getting through,” Keyserling said.
Alex Foreman and Emily Poe contributed to this article.
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