Sen. Warner Is Weighing Run in 2008 For 6th Term;
Age, Changing Electorate Are Factors in DecisionBy Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 21, 2006; Page B01Virginia Sen. John W. Warner (R) is preparing a run for a sixth term in 2008 but said he may change his mind if he decides he's too old or too tired to wage what he expects will be a tough campaign in a state that has changed considerably since his last competitive race.
In an interview this week, Warner said he is going "through a series of careful steps" that will determine his political future, including trying to decide whether Democrat James Webb's victory over Sen. George Allen (R) last month signals a new, more Democratic era in Virginia politics. Warner also said he wants to be certain that Virginia residents are willing to vote for him given that he would be 87 at the conclusion of his next term.
"The people have been good to me," said Warner, who was first elected in 1978 and recently became the second-longest-serving senator in Virginia history. "But a lot of these people are brand-new people, and maybe they have different perspectives than those who put me in office five consecutive times. I think I want to travel around the state and listen and see what is on their minds."
