Why does Virginia have so many possible Presidential nominees?

[retromike22]

In 2008 we had former Governor Jim Gilmore, although his campaign was pretty much a joke. Before Macaca 2006, George Allen was considered a likely 2008 candidate.

In 2008 you had Mark Warner being considered, and Governor Tim Kaine and Senator Jim Webb being possible Vice Presidential nominees.

Now in 2016 some still consider Mark Warner and Tim Kaine a possibility, but more likely Bob McDonnell is attracting attention. So the last 5 Governors of Virginia have been discussed as possible national candidates.

Is there something about Virginia that makes its Governors and Senators more likely to be considered Presidential candidates than other states?

1. Is it that "Mother of Presidents" nickname?

2. Is it because, being so close to D.C., more Washington pundits are aware of Virginia politics? Maryland politicians (with exception of Martin O'Malley) doesn't seem to attract as much attention.

3. Or is it because Virginia is currently a swing state?

[Mehmentum]

Part of it is that Virginia's governorship has a strict term limits (only one consecutive term, multiple non-consecutive terms are allowed but uncommon).  That means we have a whole lot of former Governors running around. 

Many of them try for the Senate, we had two former governors face off in 2008 and Tim Kaine, another former gov. became Senator in 2012, but some have higher ambitions.  These ambitions are now more likely to be talked about since Virginia has become a swing state

[badgate]

Pocahontas baby!!

[Dereich]

I guess Virginia is in that sweet spot where its candidates can appeal to the south but not be too southern for the rest of the country. Florida on the other hand has never had a major party nominee for president OR vice-president. Some states get all the luck

[justfollowingtheelections]

In 2008 we had former Governor Jim Gilmore, although his campaign was pretty much a joke. Before Macaca 2006, George Allen was considered a likely 2008 candidate.

In 2008 you had Mark Warner being considered, and Governor Tim Kaine and Senator Jim Webb being possible Vice Presidential nominees.

Now in 2016 some still consider Mark Warner and Tim Kaine a possibility, but more likely Bob McDonnell is attracting attention. So the last 5 Governors of Virginia have been discussed as possible national candidates.

Is there something about Virginia that makes its Governors and Senators more likely to be considered Presidential candidates than other states?

1. Is it that "Mother of Presidents" nickname?

2. Is it because, being so close to D.C., more Washington pundits are aware of Virginia politics? Maryland politicians (with exception of Martin O'Malley) doesn't seem to attract as much attention.

3. Or is it because Virginia is currently a swing state?

It's a combination of 2 and 3.  Maryland is not a swing state and has less electoral votes which means that it doesn't bring as much to the table.

[Mr. Morden]

Every Virginia governor for the last 20 years (going back to Wilder) has either run for president, or was hyped as a possible presidential candidate.  Cuccinelli has already visited Iowa, and his gubernatorial election is still a year away!:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=164982.msg3541677#msg3541677

[pbrower2a]

1. Virginia is becoming a near-microcosm of America. It is similar in its urban-rural-suburban divide, and it is close to the R-D divide as a legitimate swing state. The only thing atypical about the state is the large black vote.

2. Virginia gets much attention from nationwide news media (contrast, for example Indiana) because of the Washington Post.

3. Virginia straddles at least three regions of America -- the Midlands (parts of Virginia are much like nearby southeastern Pennsylvania), the Tidewater South, and Appalachia.

4. The state has no reputation for insane politics. It has a good image in much of the country.

"Mother of Presidents"? That applies to the pre-Civil War era, Woodrow Wilson being the last  US President born in Virginia but having developed his political reputation elsewhere. Virginia was long the most populous state in the Union, and that is long past.  

 

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Because we're awesome.  And all the other analytical stuff.

[DINGO Joe]

There was a very long stretch when Ohio dominated the nominations for President/VP in both parties because of their swing status.  Virginia candidates get mentioned plenty but thus far have ended up the bridesmaid.

Virginia is still a diverse state, but the urban has pretty much overwhelmed the small-town rural by this point, which means fewer and fewer strange three named candidates.

[Zioneer]

I guess Virginia is in that sweet spot where its candidates can appeal to the south but not be too southern for the rest of the country. Florida on the other hand has never had a major party nominee for president OR vice-president. Some states get all the luck

Pssh, you don't have any right to complain when you have so much influence otherwise. Utah, on the other hand... Even our senators are absolute jokes.

[Mister Mets]

It's a swing state in which Governors are limited to one term.

This means it's possible to have multiple candidates for national office, when you consider the Senators, Governor, and former office-holders. So in 2008, a Governor, former Governor and Senator were considered potential running mates for Obama.

The proximity to DC also gives the office-holders a lot of exposure. They'll be covered by the DC media.

And I think the off-year election helps. The Governor of Virginia spends an year as one of the two newest Governors in the nation, an opportunity to get some national press.

And when it's Veepstakes time, the new Governor will have spent slightly more time in office than all the Governors elected in the midterms. So there's a slight edge in qualifications.

One final factor is that at least five of the last six Governors did a good job. Jim Gilmore was the least popular, and he essentially ran for Prez, because he didn't have many other options.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

There was also Chuck Robb, long considered a potential candidate for national office. Gerald Balliles was mentioned as possibility in 1992.

Oh yes, Douglas Wilder ran for nomination in 1992.

I guess Virginia is in that sweet spot where its candidates can appeal to the south but not be too southern for the rest of the country. Florida on the other hand has never had a major party nominee for president OR vice-president. Some states get all the luck

Florida had resign-to-run laws which discouraged potential candidates from risking a presidential or vice presidential run. For example, Reubin Askew was considered a favorite for the 1976 presidential nomination but appearently did not want to risk giving up his governorship half way throught his term. He ran in 1984 but it was way too late for him. Same goes for Bob Graham who didn't run until he was already to retire and, well, it didn't go well too.

If I'm not mistaken, resign to run law was repealed fairly recently when Charlie Crist was a serious contender for McCain's VP.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Because they have so many high-profile politicians, and always have.  There's a reason it's called the "Mother of Presidents."

[Mister Mets]

Because they have so many high-profile politicians, and always have.  There's a reason it's called the "Mother of Presidents."

The "Mother of Presidents" line hasn't really applied in the last Century.

Much of it was the early power of the state, which led to the elections of favorite sons Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe.

William Henry Harrison's father was the fifth Governor of Virginia, so his presidential rise could be attributed to the state'e early prominence.

John Tyler was a Senator from the state.

Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson were also born in Virginia, although neither served elected office in the state. Taylor was considered a resident of Louisiana, while Wilson was Governor of New Jersey.