page_title: 2008 United States Senate election in Virginia
section_title: Campaign
hierarchical_section_title: 2008 United States Senate election in Virginia / General election / Campaign
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner campaigns at the Dixie Theatre in Staunton, Virginia
context_page_description: The 2008 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Warner decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term. Democrat Mark Warner won the open seat by the most lopsided margin for a contested Senate race in Virginia in 20 years. Warner became the first Democrat to win this seat since 1972 when the Republicans first won it. This was also the first time since 1964 that the state voted simultaneously for a Democratic presidential candidate and a Democratic Senate candidate. This was Virginia's first open-seat election since 1988.
context_section_description: After the conclusions of the state conventions, Democrat Mark Warner had emerged as the front-runner for the Class 2 Senate seat from Virginia.  Some early polling showed Mark Warner leading Jim Gilmore by as much as 2-1.
  Pundits and analysists believed Virginia to be the single strongest pickup opportunity for the Democrats due to Warner's consistent lead in the polls.
  Jim Gilmore responded aggressively, mostly with ads on the Internet; his campaign had very little money.  Gilmore attacked Warner for raising taxes during his term as governor, when he had pledged not to do so, flip-flopping among many other topics.
  On October 6, 2008, Mark Warner and Jim Gilmore debated various issues, including the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, the Iraq War and Judicial nominees. The Richmond Times Dispatch sponsored the debate held at the Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, Virginia.
  CQ Politics rated the race as 'Safe Democrat'. The Cook Political Report considered it 'Likely Democrat'.The Rothenberg Political Report considered it a 'Likely Takeover'. In June, Senator John Ensign of Nevada, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, considered the state to be one of the top ten most competitive Senate races.
  Mark Warner argued he'd be part of a radical centrist coalition, no matter who won the Presidency. He claimed the coalition would improve cooperation in the Congress and its subsequent public perception. Warner spoke of alternative energy, and Gilmore argued for offshore drilling. The issue of the 2004 tax increase under then-Governor Mark Warner was raised at the first debate of the campaign between Gilmore and Warner.
  The Washington Post reported on July 24, 2008, that Jim Gilmore "submitted false information on two financial disclosure forms that hid his ties to a government contractor embroiled in a legal dispute over allegations that two of its executives had conspired to defraud the federal government." The Gilmore campaign responded by saying, the controversy was due to a "clerical error."
  On election night, Warner was declared the winner based on exit polls alone, before the votes were counted.
caption: Former Gov. Mark Warner (D) campaigns at the Dixie Theatre in Staunton, Virginia
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