Election!

Yes, I know this comes late, but I haven't been very internetty lately as I've been recovering from Tuesday. I was up for 22.5 hours straight!

I'm so incredibly pleased and proud of my precinct's results. Which are attributable as much to Steve Shannon's campaign as to my efforts, but I'm still damn proud.

Governor

Kilgore: 715
Kaine: 1217
Potts: 33

LG

Byrne: 1147
Bollinger: 793

AG

Deeds: 1133
McDonnell: 803

House of Delegates

Steve Shannon: 1127
Jim Hyland: 819

We all know what they say about opinions, but here's mine: this election was more about Virginia's politics than it was about George Bush. Bush and general disillionment was a significant factor, but the overriding thing that happened here was about Mark Warner and fiscal sanity.

Much has been made of Mark Warner's phenomenal approval ratings. They're often discussed out of their proper context. The truth is that everyone here in Virginia, when they think of Mark Warner, thinks of the bipartisan budget reform that he passed after forming a coalition of Democrats and old-school fiscally conservative Republicans, to repair an $8 billion budget deficit left by the previous governor. To the extent this election was a referendum on Mark Warner (and it was, partially) it was a referendum on his fiscal policy and the bipartisan budget reform.

What this election result means is that the Grover Norquist Anti-Tax Drown-the-Government school of thought has been completely discredited in Virginia. That is Mark Warner's crowning achievement. And centrist though he may be, he has handed a great victory to everyone on the left of the political spectrum, no matter how left (or not) they are.

I'll have more about this later and why I think Mark Warner might just make a good candidate for President in 2008.

You may now congratulate me.