Democrats Set Sights on Va.

Economic unease, shifting demographics sap GOP strength

(NEWSER) - Economic anxiety may give Democrats a chance to advance into traditionally Republican outer suburbs this year, the Washington Post reports. In many key states, especially Virginia, the downturn and housing-market meltdown have severed the outer edges of metropolitan areas from the GOP. Largely centrist voters in exurban Virginia have driven recent Democratic victories there, and are key to Barack Obama’s chances. More»

Republican strategist calls some close states for the Democrat

(NEWSER) - Karl Rove isn't seeing red when he looks at his crystal electoral map, reports Politico, and is seeing enough blue to propel Barack Obama into the White House if the vote were held today. The GOP strategist has moved Minnesota and New Hampshire into the Democratic column, but cautions that the race is still plenty prone to dramatic swings. Meanwhile, in the battleground state of Virginia, GOP leaders are squirming, Politico reports. More»

State demographics shifting blue, but Dems haven't won since '64

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is seeking to become the first Democrat to win Virginia since LBJ in 1964. He's got a good shot, writes the New York Times: demographic changes favor his party, and Virginia has now elected two Democratic governors and a senator. But John McCain has the support of several key constituencies, and the critical race is neck-and-neck. More»

(NEWSER) - Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner made an emphatic case for Barack Obama and framed the coming race in his keynote address tonight, asserting that the race is not between Democrat and Republican, but between the future and the past, MSNBC reports. And John McCain, he said, is "stuck in the past." Obama can bring real solutions on energy, defense, and the economy by bridging the old political divides, while McCain will simply continue the ruinous policies of the Bush administration, he said. More»

Former Va. governor Warner brings biz cred, NASCAR sensibility

(NEWSER) - Keynoting tonight at the Democratic Convention is former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, who broke through partisan gridlock despite the state’s conservative tilt and his own northern roots, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Warner, a successful businessman before entering politics, was elected governor of Virginia in 2001. Though faced with a Republican legislature and one-term limit, he left office a huge success. More»