Richardson Wins Cowchip of the Year

New Mexico Governor and Democratic presidential wannabe, Bill Richardson wins the Albuquerque Journal's 2006 Cowchip of the Year Award.

We call them cowchips— the inadvertently dumb, the blindly arrogant and the sweetly bizarre human foibles that pile up on the figurative barn floor during the course of a year and, when it comes right down to it, really make the world go 'round.

And in each of the 22 years we have been chronicling these stinkers, one cowchip appears that is bigger, steamier, more fragrant than the rest.

This year it goes to frequent cowchip contributor Gov. Bill Richardson, who mounted a 64-minute-long run for the presidency late in the year, saying "I am running" on national TV at 4:22 p.m. and at 5:26 p.m. saying that wasn't what he meant.

Technically it wasn't a run for the presidency; it was a stumble. It was how we like our political campaigns— short and sweet— and it was oddball enough to win the 2006 Cowchip of the Year Award.

AIMS AT HEAD, SHOOTS SELF IN FOOT

Gov. Bill Richardson, who has teased out his maybe-I'm-running-for-president- I-probably-will-but-I'll-tell-you-for-sure-later schtick for nearly two years, slipped up during an interview on the FOX News Channel and moved from the conditional verb tense to the present tense, saying, "I am running ..." Within 104 minutes, his office had issued a statement saying his quote had been taken out of context and he was still only maybe running— and he'd say later whether he was for sure.

Come on, we all know Richardson is running.

You just can't make this stuff up.

Cross-posted from California Yankee.

Huckabee Claims He Won't Scare Moderates

Arkansas Republican Governor Mike Huckabee says if he runs for president he won't "scare the living daylights" out of independents and moderate Democrats:

"I think I would appeal to true conservatives for whom conservatism doesn't mean they're angry at everybody," Huckabee said in an interview with The Associated Press. "My brand of conservatism is not an angry, hostile brand. It's one that says `conservative' means we want to conserve the best of our culture, society, principles and values and pass them on."

[. . .]

"I would be the kind of Republican who doesn't scare the living daylights out of people who are in the center or slightly to the left," he said.

Huckabee has been governor of Democratic-leaning Arkansas for10 1/2 years. He couldn't to seek re-election because of term limits.

Huckabee has not said when he'll announce his decision on whether to run for president. He dismisses the idea that he needs to announce early next year.

Hotline compares Huckabee to another man from Hope, former President Bill Clinton:

Now instead of a young, shaggy-haired, Ivy League, anti-war liberal whose greatest claim to fame was running Texas for McGovern in '72, imagine a candidate who graduated from an in-state Baptist college, was an ordained Baptist minister and had taken a turn running the state's Baptist Convention. One is recalled as a unifying force to Baptist Arkansans. One who hosted a religious-oriented TV show. The political connections - the familiarity - were instantaneous for Huckabee. But, unlike Clinton, he was not somebody who dreamt and angled his whole life to be in a place from where he could run for president.

I think Huckabee's experience as Baptist minister and leadership of the Arkansas Baptist Convention will scare the living daylights out of a lot of moderates of both parties.

Cross-posted from California Yankee.

Hagel Won't Run

Leavenworth Street, posts that insiders say Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel won't run for president or reelection to the Senate:

On Omaha KMTV Ch. 3's Thursday 6pm news, Joe Jordan reported that while Chuck Hagel won't reveal his Presidential plans until January 2007 at the earliest, two Hagel insiders said Hagel:

1) will NOT run for President

2) and will NOT run for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

Why wait, if the Senator has decided shouldn’t he tell us now?

Cross-posted from California Yankee.

Edwards Claims Edge

John Edwards tells us what we already knew - he is running for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Edwards claims his experience as the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee gives him an edge over potential rivals. Maybe Edwards means the five of the remaining prospective 2008 Democratic presidential candidates - Clinton, Dodd, Obama, Richardson, and Vilsack, who not previously run for president.

Making his announcement dressed in jeans, Edwards called for the start of U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, argued that the U.S. should lead efforts to stop the genocide in Sudan and the atrocities in northern Uganda. He also blasted the "McCain doctrine" - increasing U.S. troop levels in Iraq, saying it would be an enormous mistake to escalate the war.

According to the Washington Post, Edwards favors withdrawing 40,000 to 50,000 troops from Iraq as a signal to Iraqis.

Edwards' campaign will be based upon class warfare, emphasizing "two Americas" -- haves and have-nots -- that he spoke about during his 2004 campaign. I find it very disingenuous when multimillionaires say they want to campaign on behalf of the downtrodden.

I have a hard time taking Edwards seriously. After campaigning practically nonstop for three years he has failed to raise enough money to pay the bills from his campaign for the 2004 nomination. How will he compete against Clinton, Obama and the other eight prospective Democratic candidates in fundraising?

Edwards' Campaign theme, "Tomorrow Begins Today!," took on added meaning when his campaign website mistakenly went live the day before it was scheduled to do so. That might explain the pre-announcement Edwards made the day before his official announcement. You can watch the pre- announcement below:



Cross-posted from California Yankee.

Gilmore Makes 24, Again

With Gilmore, there are again 24 propective 2008 presidential candidates.

Potential Republican 2008 Presidential Candidates:

1. Kansas Senator Samuel D. "Sam" Brownback


2. Illinois attorney John H. Cox


3. Former Virginia Republican Governor, Jim Gilmore


4. Former US House Speaker and Georgia Congressman, Newton L. "Newt" Gingrich


5. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. "Rudy" Giuliani


6. Nebraska Senator Charles T. "Chuck" Hagel


7. Arkansas Governor Michael D. "Mike" Huckabee


8. California Congressman Duncan L. Hunter


9. Arizona Senator John S. McCain III


10. New York Governor George E. Pataki


11. Massachusetts Governor W. Mitt Romney


12. Colorado Congressman Thomas G. "Tom" Tancredo


13. Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy G. Thompson


14. Virginia Senator George F. Allen


15. Senate Majority Leader and Tennessee Senator, William H. "Bill" Frist

Potential Democratic 2008 Presidential Candidates:

1. Delaware Senator Joseph R. "Joe" Biden Jr.


2. Retired Army General Wesley K. "Wes" Clark


3. New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton


4. Connecticut Senator Christopher J. "Chris" Dodd


5. Former North Carolina Senator and the Democratic 2004 vice presidential candidate, John R. Edwards


6. Former vice president and 2000 Democratic presidential nominee, Albert "Al" Gore Jr.


7. Massachusetts Senator and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, John F. Kerry


8. Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich


9. Illinois Senator Barack Obama


10. New Mexico Governor William B. "Bill" Richardson


11. Iowa Governor Thomas J. "Tom" Vilsack


12. Indiana Senator and former governor, Evan Bayh


13. Former Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. "Tom" Daschle


14. Wisconsin Senator Russell D. "Russ" Feingold


15. Former Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner

W, Hillary Most Admired

President Bush and Senator Clinton are mentioned most often when Gallup asks the public which man and woman they admire the most.

Likely presidential candidate, Illinois Senator Barack Obama joined the list for the first time, coming in fourth behind Presidents Bush, Clinton, and Carter.

Most Admired Man

1 George W. Bush
2 Bill Clinton
3 Jimmy Carter
4 Barack Obama
5 (Reverend) Billy Graham
6 Colin Powell
7 Pope Benedict XVI
8 Nelson Mandela
9 George H.W. Bush
10 Bill Gates

I was surprised to see President Bush at the top of the list given his approval ratings, but presidents usually are the most admired men, having won the top honor 49 of the 60 times Gallup has posed the question.

President. Bush earned the distinction of most admired man with almost no assistance from Democrats. Less than one-half of one percent of Democrats mentioned him.

The poll is bad news for Senator McCain, who fell out of the top ten this year.

Most Admired Woman

1 Hillary Clinton
2 Oprah Winfrey
3 Condoleezza Rice
4 Laura Bush
5 Margaret Thatcher
6 Angelina Jolie
7 Nancy Pelosi
8 Madeleine Albright
9 Barbara Bush
10 Maya Angelou

This is the eleventh time Senator Clinton's finished as the most admired woman. She finished second in 1995 and 1996 (to Mother Teresa) and 2001 (to Laura Bush).

Hillary's first place finish won't hurt her presidential campaign, But Obama's fourth place finish must give her pause.

Obama and Clinton Neck and Neck in NH

A recent Concord Monitor poll shows Illinois Senator Obama about even with New York Senator Clinton among likely voters in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary.

Twenty-two-percent of the likely Democratic voters who responded to a Concord Monitor poll said they'd vote for Clinton if the primary was held today, and 21 percent said Obama.

On the Republican side, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain are about even, with Giuliani at 26 percent and McCain at 25 percent.

These polls don't reflect much besides name recognition. Only political junkies are paying attention to the 2008 race now. It will stay that way until after the summer.

Former President Gerald Ford Dies At 93

Gerald Ford, the nation's 38th president, was the accidental president, the only president neither elected to the office nor the vice presidency, died at 6:45 p.m. yesterday. He was 93.

Ford was elected as a Michigan Republican Congressman 13 times before being appointed vice- president on December 6, 1973, two months after Spiro Agnew pleaded no contest to a tax evasion charge and resigned. Ford was the first vice president appointed under the 25th amendment to the Constitution.

Ford was the longest living former president, surpassing Ronald Reagan, who also died at 93, by more than a month.

Ford became president when President Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, to begin "that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America:"

"My fellow Americans," Ford said, "our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works. Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule."

I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots. So I ask you to confirm me with your prayers.

President Ford's approval rating reached 71 percent. The high approval rating only lasted a month.

On September 8, Ford granted Nixon a full pardon for all federal crimes he had "committed or may have committed" when he was in the White House.

Opinion polls showed a large majority of Americans opposed the pardon. It was denounced in Congress, including by members of Ford's own party. By January 1975, his approval rating had plummeted to 36 percent. But an ABC News poll taken in 2002,,30 years after the Watergate break-in found that 60 percent said the pardon was the right thing to do.

President Ford vetoed 66 bills in his barely two years as president. Congress overturned 12 Ford vetoes, more than for any president since Andrew Johnson.

Ford survived two attempts on his life in September 1975. Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a 26-year-old follower of Charles Manson, was arrested after she aimed a semiautomatic pistol at Ford on Sept. 5 in Sacramento, Calif. A Secret Service agent grabbed her and Ford was unhurt. Seventeen days later, Sara Jane Moore, a 45-year-old political activist, was arrested in San Francisco after she fired a gun at the president. Again, Ford was unhurt.


Ford was an adequate student, an outstanding football player and an Eagle Scout. He played center on the University of Michigan's 1932 and 1933 national champion football teams. He got professional offers from the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, but chose to study law at Yale, working his way through as an assistant varsity football coach and freshman boxing coach.

During World War II Ford joined the Navy and spent 47 months on active duty. He left the Navy in 1946 with the rank of lieutenant commander.

Ford was the last surviving member of the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

Rest in Peace.

Photos Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Library

Giuliani To Organize Iowa

The Des Moines Register reports former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani plans to begin reaching out next week to Iowa's Republican caucus activists.

It's about time. Giuliani is playing catch up in Iowa. McCain has been much more active in Iowa than Giuliani in the past year, recruiting supporters and staff, many with ties to President Bush's 2000 and 2004 Iowa campaigns. Governors Romney and Pataki, have also been building Iowa campaign organizations.

Iowa caucus participants are traditionally conservative. Can a pro-choice Republican win there? Giuliani's supporters say his support of abortion rights and gay rights could appeal to moderate Democrats and disenchanted Republicans after thumpin' the Republicans received in the November election. I'm not so sure.

At Race42008, LJ posts that he is doubtful that Giuliani was really going to mount a serious run for the Presidency. Perhaps Giuliani's plans will resolve LJ's doubts.

Cross-posted from California Yankee.

Obama To Decide This Week

Senator Barack Obama will decide this week whether to run for president, while visiting with family and friends in Hawaii.

Cross-posted from California Yankee.

Hunter Ads On The Air

California Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter is running ads in South Carolina, North Carolina and South Dakota markets denouncing China's trade advantage over the United States:

"China is buying ships and planes and missiles with American trade dollars," Hunter says in this 30-second ad:



At Right Wing News, John Hawkins wonders whether this message will appeal to conservatives, who are usually free traders.

Cross-posted from California Yankee.

Hillary Slipping In Iowa

Hillary's strategy of campaigning in Iowa by inviting Iowa activists to dine at her Washington D.C. mansion isn't working.

A new Research 2000 poll on the Iowa Caucuses finds Clinton in fourth place.

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
John Edwards 22%
Barack Obama 22%
Tom Vilsack 12%
Hillary Clinton 10%
John Kerry 5%
Wesley Clark 4%
Dennis Kucinich 4%
Joe Biden 1%
Evan Bayh 1%
Bill Richardson 1%

Among the Republicans, McCain and Giliani remain close and far ahead of other prospective candidates.

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
John McCain 27%
Rudy Giuliani 26%
Mitt Romney 9%
Newt Gingrich 7%
Condoleeza Rice 4%
George Pataki 1%
Jeb Bush 1%
George Allen 1
%Sam Brownback
1%Rick Santorum 1%
Duncan Hunter 0%

The poll was conducted from December 18-20 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. Details are available here [pdf file].

Dave Wissing has more at The Hedgehog Report.

Brownback Separated By Values

Kansas Republican Senator Sam Brownback, says that conservative values like opposition to abortion and gay marriage distinguish him from others vying for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination:

I think there's room in the field for someone with full-scale conservative
values.... I don't think that end of the field's crowded.

It will take more than opposition to abortion and gay marriage to win the Republican nomination. Brownback's platform against wasteful federal spending and for compassionate and practical programs to help the poor, energy independence, stopping cancer, term limits for judges and members of Congress, and a flat tax doesn't seem like enough to me. But perhaps it is a generational thing.

At Race42008, David G analyzed this month's GOP Bloggers online straw poll and concluded that Brownback leads the field among young conservatives:

The biggest surprise can be found in the subsample of voters aged 18-24, where
Sam Brownback came in first, followed by Romney, Newt, and then Rudy.

David's explanation of Brownback's appeal to the young conservatives is interesting. This group of voters consists of college-aged conservatives who came of age politically around the time of the 2000 election. The first Republicanism these voters knew was President Bush's compassionate conservatism, with the associated willingness to use government to do lots of things, as opposed to scaling government back from people’s lives.

Hillary Makes "Most Wanted"

Senator Clinton, one of the Democrats presidential wannabes made Judicial Watch's 2006 "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians:"

In January 2006, Hillary Clinton's fundraising operation was fined $35,000 by the Federal Election Commission for failing to accurately report more than $700,000 in contributions to Clinton's Senate 2000 campaign. New information also surfaced in 2006 raising more questions about Hillary and her brother Anthony Rodham's connection to the Clinton Pardongate scandal, where presidential pardons were allegedly traded in exchange for cash and other favors.

Wait until after Hillary declares for 2008. This is just a small taste of what’s to come.

Romney Supports Iraq Decision Process

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney supports President Bush's "process of deciding how to proceed in Iraq:"

"I support the work the president has been carrying out to talk to people who have first-hand contact with troops at the front level and generals at the front level," said Romney, a Republican taking steps toward running for president. "And I look to the president to lay out options for our nation."

"We're not going to turn around and walk out of Iraq. That would be a mistake," he added. "I support the very general idea of following the lead of the Department of Defense and the president's administration that have the input of the generals on the front line."

Romney declined to discuss specifics, such as whether more troops should be sent to Iraq:

“I won’t get into specifics about whether it should be 18,000, 20,000 or 15,000,” he said. “That’s for the generals and those on the front line to decide.”

Wouldn't Romney have been better off just saying it would be a mistake to walk out of Iraq?

Giuliani Most Favorably Viewed of Possible 2008 Candidates

Gallup reports Rudy Giuliani is the most positively viewed of a group of 11 possible 2008 presidential candidates. Seventy-seven percent of Americans hold a favorable view of former New York mayor:

A majority of Americans also have positive views of Condoleezza Rice, John Edwards, John McCain, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Barack Obama is viewed favorably by those who are familiar with him, but remains unknown to about half the public. The public has mixed views of John Kerry, Al Gore, and Newt Gingrich, and is not familiar with Mitt Romney or Sam Brownback. An update on Republicans' and Democrats' preferences for their respective party's 2008 presidential nominees shows few changes, with Giuliani and McCain tied atop the Republican list and Clinton with a significant lead over Obama and the rest of the Democratic field.

Giuliani easily outdistances all Republican and Democratic contenders in terms of his overall favorability ratings. Edwards, McCain, and Clinton all have favorabilty ratings above 50%. Clinton's unfavorables are roughly twice those of Edwards and McCain. Gore (45%), Kerry (45%), and Gingrich (42%) also have high unfavorable ratings.

Obama's rating are more positive (42%) than negative (11%), but 47% are not familiar enough with Obama to rate him. Sixty-nine percent cannot provide a rating of Romney. Those who can rate Romney are more positive (19%) than negative (12%).

Gallup's assessment isn't much different than the findings of Quinnipiac University's warm and fuzzy poll. In Quinnipiac's "thermometer reading," taken the week after the November 7 election, Giuliani, McCain, and Obama came out on top.

It's much too early for presidential beauty contests to be meaningful. I doubt Giuliani will maintain his high favorabilty ratings once the voters become fully engaged.

Tapping President Bush's Contributors

Senator John McCain has tapped President Bush's network of campaign contributors more productively than have Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney.

Now that McCain has created a presidential exploratory committee he is able to directly raise money for a possible presidential campaign. Using his political action committee, McCain raised more than $1.4 million from 640 of Bush's 2004 donors across 40 states.

That is almost triple the $505,999 Giuliani and the $542,300 Romney have collected from former Bush donors using their political action committees.

Giuliani Fundraiser Disappoints

Rudolph Giuliani launched his presidential money hunt Monday night in Manhattan.

Giuliani's campaign refused to say how much the $2,100-a-ticket cocktail party at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square was expected to generate, but attendees said the event appeared to fall short of the 500 tickets needed to raise $1 million. According to Newsday, several Republicans said $1 million would have been a realistic goal for Giuliani's fundraiser.

Fellow presidential wannabe, John McCain, upstaged Giuliani's fundraising event by announcing a 57-member New York finance committee that includes Jets owner Woody Johnson; billionaire financier Henry Kravis; and Henry Kissinger.

Gilmore Exploring Presidential Run

Former Virginia Republican Governor, Jim Gilmore, will explore a 2008 presidential bid.

Decrying the lack of a true conservative among the potential Republican candidates, Gilmore said he will form an exploratory committee in January:

"There is not a committed conservative in the field who can put together a national campaign. I am and I can. I have people on the ground right now in Iowa and in South Carolina," Gilmore, 57, said in a telephone interview from New York.

His comments were directed not only at others preparing for a GOP presidential run, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and departing Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. It's also yet another of his many slaps at lavish federal spending by the current Republican administration and Congress.

"I am not someone who has to evolve as a conservative. I don't have to evolve my position," he said.

Gilmore headed a Congressional commission to investigate the threat posed by terrorism. Gilmore continues to speak about the nation's readiness for terrorist attacks and major disasters. He formed a nonprofit organization, the National Council on Readiness and Preparedness, to continue his preparedness work.

With Gilmore, there are again 24 potential 2008 presidential candidates.

Kennedy Waffles On Kerry

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Kennedy reaffirmed support for Kerry:

I have every intention of supporting him.

A week ago, Kennedy seemed to withdraw his support of Kerry in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Perhaps Kerry learned consistency from the senior senator from Massachusetts

Gingrich Still Thinking About It

Newt Gingrich won't decide whether he will run for president until next fall.

Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Gingrich said he "might jump in" if neither Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Arizona Senator John McCain nor former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has a clear advantage by next September.

Last month the former speaker told Fortune, "I am not 'running' for president. I am seeking to create a movement to win the future by offering a series of solutions so compelling that if the American people say I have to be president, it will happen." That prompted a spokesman to insist that Gingrich "has no plans" to run for president.

I want a president who is more decisive.

Romney Organizes South Carolina

Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney has assembled an impressive organization in South Carolina:

Romney's paid staffers in the Palmetto State include powerful Republican operatives Warren Tompkins and George Ramsey, former Republican Governors Association aide Nick Breeding and Greenville fundraising consultant Leslie Gaines.

He also has several others on his side, including Terry Sullivan, who served as U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint's campaign manager in 2004.Tompkins, Ramsey and Sullivan alone have a formidable resume in Republican politics, and all of them supported President George W. Bush's efforts here in 2000.

According to the Herald-Journal, Tompkins is having as much fun as he did working managing Ronald Reagan's 1980 South Carolina campaign. Tompkins says Romney's faith will help in South Carolina, despite theological differences.

The bigger hurdle for Romney will be to convince RedStaters that he is conservative, even though he is in charge of the heavily Democratic, liberal, and tax laden Massachusetts. If McCain and Giuliani split the more moderate Republicans, Romney may have his way with more conservative Republicans.

Bayh Leaves 23

Indiana Democratic Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana will not run for president in 2008:

At the end of the day, I concluded that due to circumstances beyond our control the odds were longer than I felt I could responsibly pursue," Bayh said in a statement Saturday. "This path - and these long odds - would have required me to be essentially absent from the Senate for the next year instead of working to help the people of my state and the nation.

Last weekend Bayh was in New Hampshire and was completely overshadowed by Obama, who sucked all the political oxygen out of the state.

With Bayh's withdrawal, there remain 23 potential 2008 presidential candidates.

Potential Republican 2008 Presidential Candidates:

1. Kansas Senator Samuel D. "Sam" Brownback
2. Illinois attorney John H. Cox
3. Former US House Speaker and Georgia Congressman, Newton L. "Newt" Gingrich
4. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. "Rudy" Giuliani
5. Nebraska Senator Charles T. "Chuck" Hagel
6. Arkansas Governor Michael D. "Mike" Huckabee
7. California Congressman Duncan L. Hunter
8. Arizona Senator John S. McCain III
9. New York Governor George E. Pataki
10. Massachusetts Governor W. Mitt Romney
11. Colorado Congressman Thomas G. "Tom" Tancredo
12. Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy G. Thompson
13. Virginia Senator George F. Allen
14. Senate Majority Leader and Tennessee Senator, William H. "Bill" Frist

Potential Democratic 2008 Presidential Candidates:

1. Delaware Senator Joseph R. "Joe" Biden Jr.
2. Retired Army General Wesley K. "Wes" Clark
3. New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
4. Connecticut Senator Christopher J. "Chris" Dodd
5. Former North Carolina Senator and the Democratic 2004 vice presidential candidate, John R. Edwards
6. Former vice president and 2000 Democratic presidential nominee, Albert "Al" Gore Jr.
7. Massachusetts Senator and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, John F. Kerry
8. Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich
9. Illinois Senator Barack Obama
10. New Mexico Governor William B. "Bill" Richardson
11. Iowa Governor Thomas J. "Tom" Vilsack
12. Indiana Senator and former governor, Evan Bayh
13. Former Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. "Tom" Daschle
14. Wisconsin Senator Russell D. "Russ" Feingold
15. Former Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner