After months of speculation, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) announced he ”
won’t seek another term as governor, meaning whatever his political
future holds is likely be oriented around Washington rather than the
State Capitol,” the Virginian Pilot reports.

Said Warner: “I loved being Governor, but I have a different job now — and it’s here, in the United States Senate.”

Warner’s decision effectively makes 
Terry McAuliffe the likely Democratic frontrunner for the 2013
gubernatorial nomination.

New Republic: “That perhaps the two most compelling politicians in America hail from the same state is dramatic enough. Now consider that soon they may be running against each other.”

“Visions of a Booker-Christie match-up make political junkies weak at the knees… There are no nationwide campaigns next year, and just two gubernatorial seats are up for grabs, so this race–hypothetical though it remains–would have America’s attention. Money would flow: Both are beloved by Wall Street and, having campaigned on other candidates’ behalf, are loaded with IOUs from political fundraisers around the country. Coverage would be nonstop: Both are extraordinarily talented at handling the microphone and delivering social media-optimized sound bites. And the stakes would be high: Both have designs on the presidency, and are aware of the benefits of handing the other a premature political death.”

Who would win? Take our poll.

[Read more…]

Newark Mayor Cory Booker said his decision on whether to run for New Jersey governor has been pushed back by Hurricane Sandy but vowed not to keep Democrats waiting too much longer, the Newark Star Ledger reports.

Said Booker: “The reality is Sandy has pushed my timeline back.”

The mayor originally said he would make his decision by early December.

Potential candidates in Massachusetts “are quietly scrambling to position themselves to run for Sen. John Kerry’s seat if President Obama appoints Kerry to be his next secretary of state, or secretary of defense,” the Boston Globe reports.

“A Senate vacancy would probably create a comeback scenario for Senator Scott Brown, the Republican who lost the seat to Democrat Elizabeth Warren in last week’s election. He has sent clear signals in his concession speech and in recent interviews that he has an eye on another run.”

“Among the high-profile Democratic officeholders who are expressing interest are three of the state’s congressmen: Edward J. Markey of Malden, the 66-year old dean of the congressional delegation; Michael E. Capuano of Somerville, who ran second to Martha Coakley in the 2009 Senate primary; and Stephen F. Lynch of South Boston, a conservative Democrat who won his seat in a 2001 special election in which several liberals divided the vote on the left.”

A new Quinnipiac poll in Virginia finds that if Sen. Mark Warner (D) wants his old job as governor back next year, he’s the overwhelmingly favorite.

Warner, who says he will decide whether to run for governor or remain in the U.S. Senate by Thanksgiving, beats Lt. Bill Gov. Bolling (R), 53% to 33%, and tops Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R), 52% to 34%.

If Terry McAuliffe (D) is the Democratic candidate, he edges Bolling, 38% to 36%, and Cuccinelli, 41% to 37%.

“It’s no newsflash that sometimes the Senate frustrates me.”

— Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), in an interview with NBC 12, when asked if he was contemplating another bid for Virginia governor next year.

Amid rumors he was gearing up for a mayoral run, former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), who resigned last year amid scandal, told People that he had no immediate plans to run for office.

Said Weiner: “I can’t say absolutely that I will never run for public office again, but I’m very happy in my present life. I’m not doing anything to plan a campaign.”

“It’s a clown story, bro.”

— Former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), quoted by the New York Observer, on speculation that he might return to politics.

A new NY1/Marist College poll finds New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D) breaking away from the Democratic pack of mayoral candidates.

Quinn leads with 32%, a full 20 points ahead of her nearest rival, former City Comptroller Bill Thompson (D).

Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to convince police commissioner Ray Kelly to run.

The Hotline
reports that Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) expressed support for
reforms to Virginia’s gubernatorial term limits, which currently allow
for just a single four-year term.

Said McDonnell: “The problem is,
there’s a lack of continuity. After two years in office, I’ve already
got people in the press worried about the next chase, the next
election… So I honestly thing the right formula would be to maybe
slightly tweak the balance of powers between the legislative and
executive branch and then allow a two-term governor.”

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) “will reveal his plans next week to run for governor in 2013,” the Washington Post reports.

Cuccinelli had said he “was considering running for reelection or against Sen. Mark R. Warner (D) in 2014. But in recent weeks, speculation had turned to a run for governor, possibly setting up a primary race against Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R).”