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RICHMOND, Va. – U.S. Sen. Jim Webb's selection not to essay re-election effectuation Colony Democrats must either persuade past Gov. Tim Kaine to separate in 2012 or likely earth someone who has never won a statewide race.

But Kaine, the Democratic National Committee chair who has previously disavowed interest in the senate seat, has been unhearable since Webb's weekday bombshell. That leaves a gathering earth of potential candidates on the sideline awaiting word from Kaine.

"He's at the crowning of the list and I would rattling strongly encourage him to run," said Brian J. Moran, head of the Democratic Party of Virginia.

Added land Sen. Donald McEachin, "We only hit one statewide winner. Governor Kaine is proven statewide, and, like Senator Webb, he brings the right highbrowed prowess to the job."

One nationwide famous Democrat quickly mentioned as a contender should Kaine respond is past DNC chair and Clinton White House insider Terry McAuliffe.

McAuliffe, who unsuccessfully wanted the Democratic gubernatorial oratory in 2009, isn't ruling discover a bid for Webb's seat, said helper Levar M. Stoney. McAuliffe is meliorate suited to being controller than a legislator, Stoney said, but for today he's convergent on his clean-fuel, high-efficiency automobile venture, and not nonappointive office.

Other prospects allow Democratic U.S. Reps. Gerry Connolly and Bobby Scott, and past U.S. Reps. Tom Perriello and Rick Boucher, who were foiled terminal fall.

Connolly and histrion declined comment. Perriello was outside the United States and unavailable.

But privately, their aides and grownup Colony Democrats acknowledged Kaine has prototypal refusal.

On the politico side, martyr Allen, a past U.S. senator and governor, and repast band reformist Jamie Radtke are seeking the band nomination, and others are trusty to enter.

Allen, erst thoughtful a crowning politico 2008 statesmanly prospect, self-destructed in his 2006 re-election bid against economist after he referred to a economist helper of Indian declination as "macaca," an social depreciation in some cultures. economist won by most 9,000 votes.

Kaine, the son-in-law of past politico Gov. Linwood Holton, comfortably won the 2005 gubernatorial vie after quaternary eld as help controller to favourite Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner, today Virginia's junior U.S. Senator.

He presided over Democratic gains during the prototypal threesome eld of the single, nonrenewable four-year term to which Colony uniquely limits its governors. He helped economist remove Allen in 2006 and bankroll and crusade for a Democratic takeover of the land senate in 2007, and was influential in 2008 making Barack Obama the prototypal Democrat since 1964 to circularize Colony in a statesmanly race.

But in 2009, Kaine — moonlighting as Obama's hand-picked DNC honcho — could not hit a Democratic successor as Colony Republicans ended an eight-year losing constraint with sweeping victories for every threesome statewide offices.

And terminal year, the band won in added romp, negating the threesome U.S. House artefact that Colony Democrats captured in 2008.

Weeks before leaving office, Kaine planned a $1 billion set increase that modify Democrats in Virginia's General Assembly rejected.

Still, he's the prizewinning shot the Democrats hit at retentive Webb's seat, said Mark Rozell, a semipolitical power professor at martyr Mason University in Fairfax.

"Webb rattling left the band in a dilemma, didn't he?" Rozell said.

"The discourse for Colony Democrats is, `Would Tim Kaine be their prizewinning candidate?'" he said. "It looks that artefact right today only because he has the highest study identification."

"He did yield the governor's duty without rattling broad approval ratings and he wasn't able to yield a heritage by retaining the governorship for his own party," Rozell said.

Obama, with whom Kaine is close politically, has swayed Kaine's selection before.

The day after the 2008 election, Kaine flatly ruled discover serving as national band chair during a programme conference. When Obama asked him a some weeks after to head the DNC, Kaine agreed. Since then, Kaine has ofttimes repeated his dedication to the president.

Kaine has been mentioned for a compartment centre should Obama get a ordinal term. But keeping Webb's centre could also decide whether Democrats retain the senate in 2012.

Should Kaine not run, the Democrats are not helpless, Brian Moran said.

"No, we don't hit anyone who's separate and won statewide likewise the controller (Kaine), but advert that just fivesome eld ago, nobody modify knew Jim economist was a Democrat, such inferior that he would separate for Senate," Moran said.

Webb was a Navy helper low President Ronald Reagan, but switched parties and ran as a Democrat in 2006 in displeasure over then-President martyr W. Bush's direction of the frugalness and the Irak War.

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Bob adventurer has covered Colony politics since 2000. Associated Press writer Ben Evans contributed in Washington.

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