Everyone's Working Their Way Up The Ladder

           As 2014 draws to an end, political analysts turn their sights towards the 2016 presidential election. Of the people running for re-election in 2014 some of them are considered possible candidates for president. Mark Warner is one of those presidential hopefuls, he is a senator from Virginia and recently won his election in 2014 to remain in office. Senator Warner Raised 13,989,809 dollars for his last campaign while Ed Gillespie and Robert Sarvis, the other two candidates who ran against Warner, raised 4,164,818 dollars and 47,167 dollars (Mark Warner 2014). In the last decade a Senator seeking reelection has an 86.5% chance of being re-elected, which raises the question why would a Senator like Mark Warner need to raise $ 9,824,991 dollars more than his closest opponent (Reelection Rates Over the Years, 2012)?

            Presidential potentials like Warner are presidential potentials for a reason. Warner is popular enough to be considered for the White House so he isn’t in much danger of losing his election. In 2008 Warner won his election and received 65 percent of the vote, however someone so secure in their seat doesn’t need to raise $ 13,989,809 dollars in their next election (Real Clear Politics, 2008). According to Ballot Pedia, Warner is a possible presidential candidate for 2016. When someone reaches that status companies often give money to the presidential hopeful in an attempt to win favor (Possible U.S. Presidential Candidates, 2014). Due this added attention he is getting donations from outside Virginia from people and companies who want influence. When Warner raises this large amount of money he is indirectly setting up a database of donors for his campaign in 2016. Companies, PACs, banks and other types of lobbyist groups are trying to get Warner’s favor now, so he knows who was been looking out for him since the beginning. Warner’s biggest donors to this point have been banks, health insurance companies, Railway subsidiaries, and energy companies. JP Morgan Chase & Co. donated 103,916 dollars to Warners campaign; other banks like Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Mastercard Inc. and etc. also donated (Mark Warner, 2014). Life insurance companies like Prudential Financial donated $ 40,250 dollars (Mark Warner, 2014). Finall transport companies like Norfolk Southern donated 75,898 dollars (Mark Warner, 2014). Warner has expanded out from local donations and is now receiving massive donations from companies which operate nationally and globally, which means Warner has an one eye on the whole country and one eye on Virginia.

When a candidate has one eye on his state and one on the country at large it usually means that candidate has more of a stance on national issues while his opponents have to focus on issues that are more local. While Ed Gillespie only clearly lays out his stance for four major issues Economic Growth, education return, tax and regulatory relief and offshore drilling and other sources of national energy (ED GILLESPIE AGENDA, 2014). Warner has a stance a plethora of more issues like the economy, health care, financial reform, education development, energy, the environment and natural resources, immigration, consumer protection housing finance reform and national security (Mark R. Warner U.S. Senator, 2014). Having more of a stance on all matters is important to Warner because this shows that he is expanding out of Virginia and trying to take a stand on our nations problems which he needs to do if he wants to become president, however Gillespie is only focused on the issues that plague Virginia because his only ambition is to become a senator.

            Even though Warner might make a good president, he doesn’t seem to be as focused on Virginia as his opponent would have if they he were elected in Warner’s place. Citizens of Virginia should be aware that Warner is receiving money from out of state corporations. Although citizens want their representatives to be nationally known and powerful, by electing someone who has their eye on a higher position potentially means that their representation could become out of touch with his constituents in the state that he is supposed to be representing. What they should really be focusing on is someone whose only intentions are for Virginia.

Sources:

"ED GILLESPIE AGENDA." Ed Gillespie for Senate. January 1, 2014. Accessed October 2, 2014. http://edforsenate.com/.

"Mark Warner." Open Secrets. Org. January 1, 2013. Accessed October 2, 2014. http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=2014&cid=N00002097&type=I&newmem=N.

Mark R. Warner U.S. Senator from the Common Wealth of Virginia. January 1, 2014. Accessed October 2, 2014. http://www.warner.senate.gov/public/.

"Possible U.S. Presidential Candidates, 2016." Ballot Pedia. January 1, 2014. Accessed October 2, 2014. http://ballotpedia.org/Possible_U.S._presidential_candidates,_2016.

Real Clear Politics. January 1, 2008. Accessed October 2, 2014. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/senate/va/virginia_senate-537.html.

"Reelection Rates Over the Years." Open Secrets. Org. January 1, 2012. Accessed October 2, 2014. https://www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/reelect.php.

"Sen. Mark Warner." Govtrack.us. January 1, 2014. Accessed October 2, 2014. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/mark_warner/412321.