Clinton acolyte Terry McAuliffe eyes an elective office of his own in Virginia

With no Clinton White House in the immediate offering, what's a fellow like Terry McAuliffe to do?

The longtime friend and ally to Bill and Hillary Clinton already has made a ton of money as a businessman.

He's served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee (impressively building up its treasury during President George W. Bush's first term).

And he's written a book ("What A Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals").

So how about running for governor of Virginia in 2009?

Today, he took the first formal step toward such a candidacy, signing papers to set up a campaign committee.

Assuming he follows through and makes the race, he'll face at least two other contenders for the Democratic nomination -- rivals who are well-known within party circles but lack the name identification with the general public that McAuliffe enjoys.

The Democrats are on a much-noted hot streak in the Old Dominion. Centrist Mark Warner's election as governor in 2001 was followed by Tim Kaine's win in 2005. (The state's chief executives are limited to one term at a time.) In 2006, Jim Webb shocked the political world by unseating the Republican Senate incumbent, George Allen.

And, of course, Barack Obama last week became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state in 44 years (while Warner easily claimed the state's other Senate seat, winning a whopping 65% of the vote against his hapless GOP foe, former governor Jim Gilmore).

Still, a win next November by the New York-born McAuliffe -- given his links to the Clintons, in particular, and the national party, in general -- would truly signify a stunning political transformation in Virginia.

-- Don Frederick

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Photo: Associated Press

Comments

[Tom J]

AND the Democrats picked up three seats in the U.S. House, thanks to Virginia: Glenn Nye, Tom Perriello and Gerry Connolly.

[jeleanoro]

Good Luck to ya Terry!

[Franklin]

I'm a democrat and, from what I've seen of this guy in action during the campaign, I wouldn't have him run a carwash.

[Richard P. McDonough]

Makes me want to move to Virginia so I can deny him one more vote.

A loyalist bare knuckles guy who proves loyalty is no virtue.