Winners and Losers of VA Primary

By Jay Warren
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: February 12, 2008

The outcomes are in. We know who won the primaries in Virginia: Barack Obama and John McCain. But, who are the real winners and losers. Here’s my breakdown.

WINNERS:
Tim Kaine: He was the FIRST governor in the nation (other than Obama’s home state governor) to endorse the Illinois Senator and he stuck with Obama when he was lagging in the polls and his campaign looked like it was going nowhere. The governor worked tirelessly on Obama’s behalf campaigning for him in various primary and caucus states including George, Iowa, and South Carolina. He advises his campaign on domestic issues and political strategy. He put his political machine behind Obama and he helped persuade other Virginia politicians to jump onboard the Obama bandwagon. All if it worked. Obama won big here and so did Kaine. He proved his political muscle Tuesday night. Already there’s talk Governor Kaine could be Obama’s running mate or serve in his cabinet (if he’s elected). Tuesday, Obama did nothing to tamp down that speculation.

Jeff Mitchell: He’s a Blacksburg political activist and served in a volunteer capacity as the SWVA coordinator for Sen. Clinton’s campaign. He helped coordinate strategy in the 9th Congressional District and organized several of the Clinton rallies in the final days of the campaign. It turns out Clinton won only ONE Congressional District in Virginia and it was the 9th. In fact, she won that district big.

Mike Huckabee: I know he lost the primary, but he performed MUCH better than many expected. Huckabee worked evangelical groups and home schoolers hard. He spent a lot of time campaigning in Southwest and Central Virginia. It all paid off. Huckabee didn’t win, but he came close and further solidified his position as the runner up to McCain in the presidential primary.

Jerry Falwell, Jr.: He endorsed Mike Huckabee before many other evangelical leaders did. His early support likely helped bolster Huckabee’s footing in the Commonwealth and gave him even more credibility with social conservatives and home schoolers.

Virginia Voters: I can’t remember the last time we had two contested presidential primaries. Virginia saw spirited, civil campaigns on both sides. And, our votes mattered. Virginia won.

LOSERS:
Rick Boucher: He represents the 9th District and came out big for Obama. His district went in the opposite direction and now there are calls for him to reverse course, withdraw his endorsement, and back the candidate his constituents went for.

George Allen, Bill Bolling, Pat Robertson, Bob McDonnell, Jerry Kilgore, etc.: This group of Republican leaders picked all of the GOP candidates who didn’t even make it to Virginia. They all picked wrong, but most have moved to the McCain camp, belatedly.

Hillary Clinton: Her campaign invested heavily in Virginia. It was their best shot at an upset in the three Chesapeake primary locales. But in the end, it wasn’t even close. Obama blew her away and showed that he can prevail in a larger, primary state, winning almost all categories of voters.