Deeds Concedes; Now, On To 2006

Creigh Deeds, the Democrats' 2005 AG candidate, today called Bob McDonnell and coneded the race for the office when recounts showed he couldn't win.

I would like to say that Deeds ran a great race, and I'm sad that he didn't win.

But we can't dwell on that. We need to get a move on for 2006's Senate race.

In addition to Creigh Deeds, I've also heard the name of Chap Petersen as a possible strong challenger to George Allen. So basically, we've got five options;

1-Leslie Byrne
2-Creigh Deeds
3-Harris Miller
4-Chap Petersen
5-James Webb

Of these five, I would choose, in this order: Petersen, Byrne, Deeds, Miller, Webb.

Everybody's jumping on the Webb bandwagon, and I wouldn't be opposed to his candidacy, and, as 2006 will be my first general election voting experience, I would definitly vote for him, but I just don't think you start out in elective politics by running for the United States Senate. I also have a problem with the fact he hasn't, to my knowledge, been going around the state talking to people (correct me if I'm wrong). He acknowledged his consideration of a run in a California newspaper. You can't just waltz into Virginia in Januray or February 2006 and expect to have much of a shot.

I don't have any real problem with him being a former Republican, and I actually think the fact he was Reagan's Navy Secretary would be a plus, but again, I go back to the fact that to my knowledge, he's never held elective office. Why not start a little lower, like Congress, then, if all goes well, take a shot at John Warner's seat in 2008?

Chap Petersen is a moderate, and is in the same mold as Warner/Kaine. That could sell. I'm not saying it would be easy, but it would be possible. Leslie Byrne got 49% by saying she was a dyed in the wool liberal. Maybe she's on to something. If she could energize the base in 2006 like she did in 2005, and just get some swing voters, it's doable. Creigh Deeds is a great campaigner (anybody who has seen him in person can verify that), and would give Allen a run for his money with NRA/NASCAR voters. Harris Miller, like Ben Affleck, could self-finance. I don't have a whole lot to say about him just yet.

Any thoughts on this?