Mark Warner, the Democratic contender

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He's a Southerner ... at least by adoption
There is a reason why the last three Democrats elected to the presidency have been from the South. It's become Republican territory, and the dominant cultural force in politics, and unless Democrats can make the GOP compete there -- and not take it for granted -- the Dems have almost no chance to win.

Virginia is trending Democrat, at least in the Northern Virginia (Washington) suburbs. Warner was born in Indiana and reared in Illinois and Connecticut. He came to D.C. for college, and stayed in search of business opportunities. He doesn't have a Southern accent -- and he'd never be mistaken for a good ol' boy, but he is, after all, governor.

He has a theory
When you run, you have to be able to give primary voters a convincing explanation of how you are going to win the general election. Those voters actually care about such things, which is one reason why Kerry won the Iowa caucuses and Howard Dean didn't.

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Warner's theory (claim) is that he has cross-over appeal to what are, or have become GOP constituencies. He has some evidence to back him up, from his campaign, and from a major legislative victory in Richmond. He reached rural voters in 2001 by signaling his respect for cultural touchstones such as NASCAR, and by promising to bring broadband and the other engines of the digital economy to the countryside.

Faced with a big budget deficit, he enlisted corporate business types to support a tax increase -- and got the Republican-led legislative to approve it.

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He has positioned himself as a centrist on social issues, which may be right where "country club Republicans" are: wary of too much emphasis on gay-rights or women's rights, but essentially tolerant people.

He has time
He'll be out of office by the end of the year, but the virtue of that is that he can travel the country and show his wares.

He's doing that already, having recently paid visits to the kingmakers of Democratic California. This week it's Illinois. His role in the National Governors Association gives him other avenues for travel. It's a big country out there.

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