The following (see below), from Virginia political guru/RTD reporter Jeff Schapiro’s Facebook page, makes it look like it’s a done deal that Bobby Scott will be the pick to run for Tim Kaine’s U.S.Senate seat, assuming of course that Clinton/Kaine win on November 8.
Personally, I think it’s a great idea on several levels: 1) Bobby Scott more than deserves it, given his tremendous service to Virginia since he was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1977, as well as his strong progressive record in the U.S. House of Representatives; 2) as an African-American and a strong progressive, Scott should help crank up Democratic “base” turnout next year, which could be crucial not just in the U.S. Senate race, but also in the statewide and House of Delegates races; 3) Scott would make an excellent Senator, as well as a historic one, for Virginia.
The one significant question I’ve heard mentioned about Scott has been whether he has the proverbial “fire in the belly” to raise the money and campaign all over the state, not once but twice in two years. Schapiro’s last paragraph – as well as other stuff I’m hearing – appears to answer that question. With that, here’s what Schapiro is reporting (bolding added by me for emphasis):
Talking with LG Ralph Northam yesterday, the putative Democratic nominee for governor in 2017 said Gov. Terry McAuliffe should appoint Rep. Bobby Scott to Tim Kaine’s US Senate seat, assuming Democrats win the presidency in November.
Northam says Scott, who would be the first African-American to represent Virginia in the Senate, would bring excitement to the party’s 2017 ticket. Northam and Scott share a political in vote-rich Hampton Roads.
An interim pick for Senate would have to defend the seat in a special election concurrent with next year’s elections for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
The winner of the 2017 election would have to run again in 2018, when Kaine’s term would have ended.
Larry Sabato, the UVa political analyst, said earlier this week in his ‘Crystal Ball’ newsletter that McAuliffe intimates expect the governor to select an African-American for the Kaine seat, should Kaine become VP.
Other prominent Democrats are plumping for a Scott appointment, including former Gov. Doug Wilder, the nation’s first elective black governor. Wilder touts Scott’s record, including more than 20 years in Congress and, before that, his service in the General Assembly.
And there’s word that Scott, the first African-American congressman since Reconstruction, is organizing a committee through which he could raise funds and hire staff for a Senate campaign, which could demand about $20 million per election.
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