His decision came just days following former Republican Governor and Senator George Allen's (whom had lost the 2006 Senate race to Webb by a margin of less than 0.6% of the electorate) announcement that he would seek his party's nomination for the US Senate.4 Virginia Democrats immediately scrambled to decide which candidate had the best shot at keeping Webb's seat in Democratic hands, as well as which candidate would be able to match Allen's credentials. Though many Democrats expressed interest in running for the seat, each one admitted they would prefer one man to run as their party's nominee: former Governor Tim Kaine. As a result, Kaine announced his candidacy and effectively cleared the field for the Democratic nomination.5 Kaine's nomination triumph was largely credited to his work as the immediate former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. While Virginia Democrats were certain of their candidate at the end of the filing period for nomination papers, Virginia Republicans had a primary election to hold. Though Allen was one of four candidates on the Republican Primary ballot, he faced no serious opponent and won the GOP nod with 167,452 votes, or 65.45% of the primary electorate.6 The field was set with two former governors running for the US Senate; Allen was widely remembered and praised for his achievements with state welfare reform and establishing statewide standards of learning in the Virginian education system. Kaine, on the other hand, was highly regarded for his support of coal power plants in the state, as well as extending pre-kindergarten options to Virginia children under the age of four. Almost as soon as Kaine and Allen were announced as the candidates for Webb's open seat, national media figures poured into Virginia to cover the race.

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             On the other side of the nation, two of California's incumbent Democratic congressmen faced the potential end to their congressional careers.