Retiring GOP Senator John Warner may not be related to the Democrat who's running to replace him, former Governor Mark Warner. But he sure is making things easy on him:
Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) is avoiding an endorsement in the closely watched Senate contest to succeed him, so far declining to support fellow Republican Jim Gilmore several days after the former Virginia governor clinched the GOP nomination.
Warner, 81, who announced last September he will retire when his fifth term ends in January, twice shunned inquiries about his stance in the race, directing reporters to a statement that his press office said is not forthcoming.
If that weren't grim enough for Gilmore, there's more:
Like John Warner, Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) has been less than enthusiastic toward Gilmore’s candidacy. Davis once eyed the seat himself but opted not to run after the party chose to select its nominee through convention – a process that favored the more conservative Gilmore.
When asked Wednesday at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast whether he would endorse Gilmore, Davis deflected the question. “I’m a Republican; I’m going to vote for Gilmore,” he said.
When pressed whether he would endorse the nominee, he said: “What do you mean? Am I going to go up and put my arm around him and say, ‘Jim, you’ve always been my best friend’? ”
After briefly walking away, he offered: “Jim needs to do outreach. Jim doesn’t talk to anybody. I’ll support the Republican.”
On the bright side, Gilmore can always run for president again...
(via TPM)
--Christopher Orr