Gov. Mark Warner (D) of Virginia, the incoming chair of the National Governors Association, was Thursday's guest. Here are excerpts from his remarks:
On Sen. Kerry's chances of being the first democratic presidential candidate since LBJ to carry Virginia:
"I think Virginia has a chance to be very competitive this fall."
On Democrats and the evangelical vote:
"The key is not to do what ... some Democrats have done and ... dismiss anybody who views themselves as evangelical or born-again and say, well, a Democrat can't appeal to that community.... I think Democrats dismiss the Christian vote at their peril."
On what is next for him given talk he may run for the senate or the vice-presidency:
"One luxury you've got by having some financial independence [Warner has a fortune estimated at $200 million] is ... you don't have to fret about it. I've seen too many people in politics get midway through whatever term they are in [and] they start thinking about what they are going to do next and they don't finish the job they are hired to do."
On issues facing the states:
"Every state is dealing with the fiscal overhang of the '90s. Most states haven't addressed it. I think most states are ... concerned with the changing relationship of state and federal partnerships."
On today's governors:
"The new crop, Democrats and Republicans alike, have all inherited to one degree or another a fiscal mess ... so there has been much more of a pragmatic approach...."