8 Governors pay tribute to Senator John Warner

Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: April 26, 2008

WASHINGTON—It takes an important event to bring together all of Virginia’s living governors.

A funeral. Maybe a visit from the queen or the inauguration of a new governor.

But amid a lot of collegial backslapping and jokes, eight Virginia governors gathered last night at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City to honor Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va.

About 300 people attended the gala held in Warner’s honor by the Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.

Warner, 81, is retiring at the end of the year after three decades in the Senate, the second-longest tenure in Virginia history.

The appearance of all the governors at the event was a testament to Warner, said Barbara Fried, the chairwoman of the Sorensen Institute.

“This has never happened before in the history of the commonwealth, and it’s a tribute to them and shows the reverence they have for Senator Warner,“ she said.

Some might have thought it was too much.

“Eight governors,“ former Gov. Linwood Holton said jokingly. “I’d say that’s an overload.“

Known as an independent Republican with moderate to conservative views, Warner is respected in Washington by members of both parties.

Former Govs. Jim Gilmore, a Republican, and Mark R. Warner, a Democrat, are running for the seat John Warner is vacating and were at the event. The two Warners are not related.

With two former governors vying for his seat, Warner joked that he won’t be making any forays into the seats they’ve held.

“I’m here tonight to tell them I’m not going to seek the governorship,“ he said.

Charles S. Robb, a former senator and governor, said Warner had his own opportunities to become governor. But Robb said Warner seemed to feel there was always someone else who had worked his way to the front of the line.

“He was just too much of a gentleman to want to cut in front of anybody,“ Robb said.

Current Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said he worries that the discourse in politics has deteriorated, but that Warner is the antithesis of that.

“You could not hold up a better example of what this nation needs and what the commonwealth needs than John Warner,“ he said.

Warner said he’s had the luxury of support from Republicans, Democrats and independents throughout his career. That has enabled him to make decisions that were best for Virginians, he said.

Warner, who is also a former Navy secretary, said he was honored to have served so long in the Senate.

“I’m a very lucky and grateful man to have received this strong support in five consecutive elections,“ he said.

Warner said he’s retiring from the Senate to make way for others to leave their mark, but he won’t be straying far. While he’s stepping away from partisan politics, he hopes to encourage others to take up public service.

“I do hope to do some things still,“ he said.