THEY ARE BOTH FORMER gov-
Other than that, Mark Warner and Jim Gilmore are about as different as Virginia politicians can be.
Mr. Warner left office on a high note with voters. He proved innovative in his approach to priming the pump of economic development. As his signature achievement, the Democrat claimed a major tax increase to put the commonwealth's fiscal house in order.
But Mr. Warner could not have reached that goal without the assist of a Republican state senator, the Fredericksburg area's John Chichester. Then-Sen. Chichester's proposal for an even larger tax increase made Mr. Warner look like the moderate. Had the governor failed on this critical vote, his legacy would be far more mixed.
As for Mr. Gilmore, his ticket to office was a bumper-sticker call for repeal of the car tax. As good as that sounded to many voters on the campaign trail, the commonwealth has been trying to balance the books ever since.
Even without that black mark on his record, Mr. Gilmore would be facing long odds in this year's election. First, he has to push back a challenge for the GOP nomination from his right flank, in the form of social conservative Robert Marshall, a Republican delegate from Prince William County.
Then he'll have to shake off the effects of a presidential run that, rather than raising his profile, came close to turning him into a laughingstock. With a minuscule campaign treasury and no noticeable niche in the crowded GOP race, Mr. Gilmore never produced a reasonable rationale for running for president.
Mr. Warner isn't totally in the clear either. His on-again-off-again run for the White House was reminiscent of New York Gov. Mario Cuomo's Hamlet-like indecision on whether he really wanted to run. Having a reputation for not being able to make up your mind is not generally considered a campaign asset.
So off we go with the Democrats favored to add a Senate seat from the increasingly purple state of Virginia. But keep in mind it's a long way to November.