It certainly looks that way according to this report:
By most standards, $500 is not a lot of money. In a Senate campaign it?s about the equivalent of a nickel that?s been left on a set of train tracks.
Thus, Sen. John Warner?s (R-Va.) first-quarter fundraising sum of $500 is setting off yet another round of speculation that the aging senator will retire, leaving an open seat in 2008.
Of course, there is another side to the story:
The report also said the senator disbursed more than $30,000 for the period and still has $667,272 cash on hand.
That’s nearly three quarters of a million dollars, not a small chunk of change. Moreover, Warner could, if he is running for re-election, raise alot of money very quickly. And then there’s the fact that he’s independently wealthy.
Nonetheless, this story has fingers flying off keyboards all over the Virginia political blogosphere. If nothing else, an open election for Warner’s seat would be interesting. Right now, possible candidates for the seat include former Senator George Allen, Congressman Tom Davis, and former Governor Mark Warner. It is also not inconceivable that Jim Gilmore, currently running for the GOP nomination for President, could jump into the race. If nothing else, it would be a bare knuckles fight that would make the Allen-Webb race seem tame by comparison.
