Very interesting news about the race for Virginia governor following Kaine's departure: apparently chairman of the Democratic Party and McLean native Terry McAuliffe is considering a bid.I'm not sure what to think of this possibility. I don't know McAuliffe well at all, but he always struck me as a very partisan Democrat. He was a rabid Clinton supporter during the primary. I'm not necessarily sure he is excessively liberal - but clearly he is political and partisan. UVA professor Larry Sabato has reservations about McAuliffe as well, saying:
"I don't think he knows much about Virginia's geography, people or policies. I'm sure he could get briefed quickly, but that's not usually how Virginians pick a governor."
That gives me reservations. But one thing McAuliffe would definitely bring to Virginia is a high degree of comfort with national politics. A McAuliffe administration would presumably be very in sync with an Obama administration, and could guarantee that Virginia is able to take full advantage of any federal initiatives on education, energy, etc. And once he is done in the governor's office, McAuliffe could make an easy transition to elected or appointed office at the federal level, further raising the national profile of Virginians that I've mentioned in previous posts.
Let me be perfectly clear - this is not an endorsement. I want to read up a lot more on what McAuliffe believes outside his duties as a Democratic party chairman. But I am intrigued.
This makes me wonder about something else - now that the VP possibility is gone, I wonder what Kaine is going to do when his term ends...
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