RICHMOND
IN VIRGINIA'S gubernatorial race, victory was declared last night at the campaign headquarters of Mark Warner, a candidate who ran as a fiscal conservative, a moderate pro-lifer, and a champion of gun rights. Meanwhile, 300 miles away in New York City, another candidate, Mike Bloomberg, won the mayoral race as a supporter of gay rights, an opponent of the death penalty, and an unabashed pro-choicer. What makes these situations so unique is that the former is a Democrat, and the latter is a Republican.
In states and cities where one party dominates, it's not uncommon to see the minority adjust its ideological base in order to win elections. But the moves of the Republicans in New York, and more significantly, the Democrats in Virginia, show a sizeable shift in ideologies. By making this move, parties are forced to align themselves more with regional ideologies than with national party organizations, bringing politics closer to the local level where it belongs.
At the victory party last night, Warner supporters from across the political spectrum have come together. "Party lines are becoming more blurred," said Philise Conein, member of Virginians for Warner, a coalition of Republicans and Independents who supported the Democratic candidate. "It's not as important what party you're from anymore, and because Virginia's obviously a conservative state, any Democrat that runs would be more conservative too."
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Stan Maupin, another member of Virginians for Warner, agrees. "The Republican party has gone so far to the right, that the Democrats can come in to fill the void," he said. Maupin, a life-long conservative, was the treasurer for three Republican gubernatorial campaigns and roomed with Gov. James S. Gilmore III his third year at U.Va. "This is the first Democrat I've worked for, and I've lost some friends because of it," he chuckled.
Such relocation of Republican loyalties has been common in this campaign, as Warner aligned himself farther right than many of the Democrats' statewide candidates in recent history. Take the example of former Sen. Chuck Robb, a Virginia Democrat who was regarded as an extreme liberal in Virginia politics. One example of his purported extremism: He was one of only 14 senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits gay marriage.
Robb's case shows that a true liberal can get elected only in extenuating circumstances in Virginia. He was re-elected in 1994 after facing Oliver North (R), one of the most controversial and polarizing candidates this commonwealth has ever seen. Even in 2000, with 12 years of service in the Senate behind him and a booming economy in vote-rich Northern Virginia, Robb was soundly defeated by current Sen. George Allen (R).
After Robb's defeat last year, the Republicans held all statewide offices in Virginia; Warner broke that monopoly tonight. His centrism throughout the campaign, as well as his eventual victory, show the emphasis of political ideologies accommodating regional idiosyncrasies.
We have a Republican candidate in New York City who is more liberal than a Democrat in Virginia. While surprising, these differences of local principles should be embraced.
Allowing a broad range of principles across state lines gives political parties many benefits.
The most important job of a political party is to win elections, plain and simple. By aligning themselves with their national counterparts, Democrats in Virginia and Republicans in New York risk sacrificing elections for the sake of ideology. Nominating a more liberal candidate for governor this year easily could have cost the Democrats the election. And it's safe to say that even those who think Warner is too conservative would prefer him to his Republican opponent, Mark Earley.
But the argument can be made that because of this, liberal voters in Virginia - or conservative voters in New York, for that matter - may be disenfranchised. Kim Isbell, an attorney for the Democratic Legal Committee who was at a polling station in Henrico County, agrees. "I think in Virginia, the Democrats don't need to reach out to their liberal base, because there are so few of them."
Political parties shouldn't have to sacrifice elections to appease hard-liners on the left and right. In politics, the most important thing is victory. Tonight, Warner showed that sometimes, it's necessary for a party to compromise its beliefs locally to achieve a victory that will be recognized nationally.
(Brian Cook is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be reached at bcook@cavalierdaily.com.)
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