Senate

Webb Decides to Call it a Day

By Jay Newton-Small | @JNSmall | February 9, 2011 | +

As Michael Scherer noted, Senator Jim Webb, a Virginia Democrat, announced today he won’t run for a second term. Webb’s decision not to engage in a rematch with former Senator George Allen, whom Webb beat in 2006 by less than half of 1% of the vote, blows open the field for Democrats. Virginia went for President Obama in 2008 53% to John McCain’s 46% but just a year later Republican Bob McDonnell won the governor’s mansion by a whopping 17-point margin and in 2010 midterm elections Dems lost half their Old Dominion congressional seats.

Virginia will be a top priority for President Obama’s reelect in 2012, which means Dems will be pressed to find a top tier replacement for Webb ASAP. Former Governor Tim Kaine, who now heads the Democratic National Committee, said last month that he would not run if Webb chooses to retire. Kaine himself was vague, saying in a statement only that he’s confident Dems will hold the seat in 2012. The three Dems unseated last November, freshmen Tom Perriello and Glenn Nye and 14-term veteran Rick Boucher, could be considered as they have name recognition and proven fundraising abilities. Boucher, in particular, has the strongest resume having represented a fairly Republican district (Cook R+10) for 28 years.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Patty Murray was quick to point out that the state isn’t a shoo-in for the GOP: Allen must first weather a primary and Richmond Tea Party leader Jamie Radtke has already declared her candidacy. Other potential GOP candidates include popular Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, former Gov. Jim Gilmore and Rep. Rob Wittman. “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,” Murray said in a statement. “The 2012 Virginia Senate race will be competitive but Democrats will prevail there just like we did in 2006 and 2008.”

Still, the retirement increases GOP chances at taking back the seat as incumbents are generally harder to beat. It also makes it harder for Dems to hold the majority in the Senate which they control with 53 seats. The retirements of Connecticut’s Joe Lieberman and, particularly, Kent Conrad of North Dakota together with Webb’s announcement today makes 2012 an increasingly tough and expensive year to defend for Senate Dems.

Webb’s statement is below:

Five years ago this week, on February 8, 2006, I announced my intention to run for the United States Senate.  We had neither campaign funds nor a staff.  We were challenged in a primary, and trailed the incumbent in the general election by more than 30 points in the polls.

Over the next nine months we focused relentlessly on the need to reorient our national security policy, to restore economic fairness and social justice, and to bring greater accountability in our government.  I will always be grateful for the spirit and energy that was brought into this campaign by thousands of loyal and committed volunteers.  Their enthusiasm and sheer numbers were truly the difference in that election.

It has been a great and continuing privilege to serve in the United States Senate.  I am very proud of my talented and dedicated staff, which has worked tirelessly to resolve the issues on which I based my candidacy, and to protect the interests of all Virginians in this national forum.  Among other contributions we have given our Post- 9/11 veterans the best GI Bill since World War Two; we have taken the lead in reforming our criminal justice system; we have led the way toward stronger relations in East and Southeast Asia; and we have been a strong voice in calling on China to act more responsibly in the world community. We will continue to work on these and other issues throughout the rest of my term.

However, after much thought and consideration I have decided to return to the private sector, where I have spent most of my professional life, and will not seek re-election in 2012.

Notwithstanding this decision, I have every intention of remaining involved in the issues that affect the well-being and the future of our country.

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Related Topics: george allen, jim webb, 2012 Election, Congress, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Senate

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  • afguy

    A little inter-office coordination goes a long way…

  • Matt

    Webb was hardly a liberal Dem, but he was a firewall against Republican control of the Senate and a real fighter on key legislation. Another likely loss for the Democrats, as the contenders to run for his seat are thin.
    http://www.sunstateactivist.org

  • newfreedomblog

    Bub-bye!!

  • Paul-no not that one

    That’s a shame about Tim Kaine not running.
    .
    I’d love to see him out of the DNC.

  • 3xfire3

    “Still, the retirement increases GOP chances at taking back the seat as incumbents are generally harder to beat. It also makes it harder for Dems to hold the majority in the Senate which they control with 53 seats. The retirements of Connecticut’s Joe Lieberman and, particularly, Kent Conrad of North Dakota together with Webb’s announcement today makes 2012 an increasingly tough and expensive year to defend for Senate Dems.”
    .
    As more and more Moderate Democrats decide not to run in 2012, the democratic Parties umbrella grows smaller and smaller.
    .
    At the current rate of departures, the Democratic Party in 2012 will consist of Liberals and little else. A party made up of maybe 20% of the electorate.
    .
    No wonder Obama is now in a full run to the center. Liberalism is dying in the USA. America is a center right country and wants nothing to do with Liberal/Progressivism.
    .
    It’s interesting that the Tea Party Convention in Phoenix is talking about a 40 year plan. That coincides with the 40 years that Liberals will spend in the desert after 2012.
    .
    Watching Joe Klein try to Spin the story in the next article is really comical. Like Liberalism Joe Klein has been rejected by the American People.

  • freeinpa

    With Webb, another Democrat moderate jumping ship, what is becoming clear is the extremists on the left have taken over the party. Moderate Democrats and Independents have been fleeing Obama and the Dems for months. Despite the protests from the left wing nuts neither Obama nor their party are any longer in the vicinity of being moderate.

    RIP: DLC

  • paulejb

    3xfire3@5,

    A rump party with enclaves on the east and left coasts surrounded by a sea of red.

    http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/house

  • rdw56

    This is even worse than it looks. That the GOP would get the Senate back in 2012 was always obvious. The Conrad and Webb seats will go GOP and they will be authentic conservatives. That brings to 49 the number of republicans but it’s also as least 44 authentic conservatives. Scott Brown and the Maine Twins can only go so far. They’re moderates and they need to be. Lugar might be the #1 target of the TP and if they mange it that’s 45 authentic conservatives. Ben Nelson is almost certainly toast so that’s 46 authentic conservatives and 50 GOP seats. Casey, Tester and Manchin are also at risk.

    There’s little doubt the GOP gets the Senate back. Smart liberals should fear for the 1st time 50 authentically conservative Senators.

  • http://leftcoastrightbrain.wordpress.com leftcoastrightbrain

    I liked Jim Webb. One the few moderate Dems left. A bit to the left of the Henry Jackson Dems, but a decent guy.

    The most amusing part of the article is the statement from Patty Murray (universally regarded as the 100th smartest member of the US Senate). What a hack.

  • freeinpa

    I had her at 101. Robert Byrd being dead is still smarter

  • apr2563

    I admired Webb’s support for vets and his successful initiative to extend the vets benefit bill. He had to fight Republicans to succeed.
    .
    Another POV on dem chances in VA.
    .
    http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/11/ppp-poll-dem-jim-webb-leads-potential-virginia-senate-challengers.php
    .
    From Nov poll:
    .
    Democrats can be comforted by the possibility of a Kaine candidacy. Kaine fares even better against Allen – he leads 50-44 – and is ahead outside the margin of error against Bolling (48-41) and Cuccinelli (50-40). Even Rep. Tom Perriello, who was successfully targeted by Republicans in the midterm election, is competitive against the more prominent Republican candidates (nearly even with Bolling and slightly ahead of Cuccinelli).
    .
    http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/02/misjudging_va_sen.php
    .
    The upshot is that Webb wasn’t a particularly popular senator. His approval ratings were in the mid-40s. And George Allen, notwithstanding the conservative resurgence of the last couple years, isn’t that popular either. PPP had his favorable at 40% and his unfavorable at 41% — hardly stellar. Seeing these numbers, a Webb-Allen race, rather than being a rematch of champions, sounds more like it might have been like a couple of over-the-hill heavyweights leaning on each other in the 15th round.

  • earljr1

    Grasping at straws, april? You old lefties never give up, do you? This is Virginia, NOT California.
    Liberal democrats are an endangered species and well they should be. It only took two years of total ineptness to convince the American public the folly of being governed from the left. What is your legacy? Massive debt STILL increasing by over one billion dollars per day and oh yes, Obamacare. Quite possibly the worst legislation democrats could have written.
    No, your brief stint in the limelight is up. Republicans recapture both the senate AND the presidency in 2012.
    Goodbye and good riddance, liberals.

  • tpaine1

    Democrats from Red States like Webb, Nelson, McCaskill, Conrad, etc. signed their own death warrants when they voted against repeal of ObamaCare and they know it.
    The Tea Party uprising isn’t going away until ObamaCare and all that it stands for – a massive government takeover of 17% of the private sector and 10 trillion dollars in more debt for a program that is bigger than Social Security and MediCare combined (both already bankrupt) and serving fewer people – is also gone.
    I don’t see that happening until Democrats have voted themselves into a minority for at least a decade.

  • liberalmeltdown

    You’re claiming Lieberman as a Democrat. Does the Swampland know?

  • doctorfixit

    Good riddance to a real nasty piece of work who voted for Obamacare.

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