The 2014 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.
Incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Warner ran for re-election to a second term. He was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. The Republicans nominated lobbyist and former chairman of the Republican National Committee Ed Gillespie. Also running was Libertarian nominee Robert Sarvis, an attorney and businessman.
Prior to the election, most forecasters considered the race to be uncompetitive and polling showed Warner with a significant lead over Gillespie due to Warner's inherent advantages such as incumbency, name recognition, and fundraising. Despite this, the race was much closer than expected, with Warner narrowly winning by a margin of just 0.8% and 17,727 votes. Gillespie conceded the race on November 7, 2014.
Warner's very narrow margin of victory made this the closest race of the 2014 Senate election cycle. Additionally, it is the last time Loudoun County voted for the Republican candidate in a statewide election, and the last time Alleghany County voted for the Democratic candidate in a statewide election.
Background Businessman Mark Warner first ran for the U.S. Senate in 1996, losing to incumbent Republican John Warner (no relation), but by a closer than expected margin, 53% to 47%. He then ran for Governor of Virginia in 2001, winning with 52% of the vote. After John Warner declined to run for a sixth term in 2008, Mark Warner ran to succeed him. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, he defeated the Republican nominee, fellow former governor Jim Gilmore, in a landslide, 65% to 34%.
Warner was widely expected to run for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election, but declined to do so, and also declined to be considered as a vice-presidential candidate. He considered running for governor again in 2013 but decided against it, and ran for re-election to a second term. Opinion polls consistently ranked Warner as the most popular elected officials in Virginia, with an approval rating consistently in the mid-60s. This, combined with his large campaign war chest, meant that he was widely dubbed "unbeatable".
Democratic primary Warner was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Candidates Declared Mark Warner, incumbent U.S. senator
Endorsements
Republican convention The Republican Party of Virginia's governing body voted in May 2013 to select its 2014 U.S. Senate nominee at a convention. The convention was held on June 7, 2014, in Roanoke, Virginia."Four candidates seek GOP Senate nomination" , WAVY-TV. February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
Candidates Results Ed Gillespie and Shak Hill were the main players at the convention. A 50% majority was required to receive the nomination; if no candidate achieved such a majority, voting would move to a second or third round. Results of the first ballot of voting were announced as they were finalized by congressional district, and after it became clear that Gillespie was going to win (he had about 60% of the vote with about 90% counted), Hill conceded the race and motioned to nominate Gillespie by acclamation, asking his supporters to support Gillespie. Gillespie was then nominated by acclamation.
Declared Tony DeTora, congressional policy adviser Ed Gillespie, lobbyist and former chairman of the Republican National Committee Shak Hill, retired Air Force pilot and businessman Chuck Moss, businessman
Withdrew Howie Lind, former Navy commander and former chairman of Virginia's 10th congressional district Republican committee
Declined Bill Bolling, former lieutenant governor of Virginia Jerry Boykin, retired lieutenant general and executive vice president of the Family Research Council Liz Cheney, attorney, political commentator, and daughter of Dick Cheney (ran for senate in Wyoming) Ben Cline, state delegate Barbara Comstock, state delegate (ran for VA-10) Ken Cuccinelli, former attorney general of Virginia and nominee for governor in 2013 Artur Davis, former Democratic U.S. representative from Alabama Michael Farris, founder of Patrick Henry College, the Home School Legal Defense Association and nominee for lieutenant governor in 1993 Randy Forbes, U.S. representative Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the United States House of Representatives and candidate for President of the United States in 2012 E.W. Jackson, pastor, conservative activist, small business lawyer, Marine Corps Veteran, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012 and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2013 Bob Marshall, state delegate and candidate for the United States Senate in 2008 and 2012 Bob McDonnell, former governor of Virginia and former attorney general of Virginia (ineligible due to felony convictions for bribery and corruption) Jeff McWaters, state senator Pete Snyder, technology executive and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2013 Susan Stimpson, chairwoman of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors
Endorsements
Libertarian convention The Libertarian Party of Virginia held its convention on February 8, 2014. The delegates at the convention nominated Robert Sarvis as the party's candidate for the U.S. Senate."Libertarian Party Of Virginia Nominates Robert Sarvis For U.S. Senate" . AlexandriaNews.org. February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014. Sarvis received notification from the Virginia State Board of Elections that he had achieved statewide ballot access on June 26, 2014.
Candidates Declared Robert Sarvis, attorney, businessman and nominee for governor in 2013
Endorsements
Write-in Candidates Declared Brad Froman (write-in), businessman
General election Fundraising Top contributors According to OpenSecrets.org, Democrat Mark Warner's top five contributors were JPMorgan Chase, Dominion Resources, Altria Group, Norfolk Southern, and The Blackstone Group. Republican Ed Gillespie's top five contributors were BlueCross/BlueShield, BGR Group, The Blackstone Group, Jennmar Corporation, and the Altria Group. Thus, Warner and Gillespie shared the Altria Group and the Blackstone Group as top five contributors. Libertarian Robert Sarvis was primarily funded through self-financing and individual contributions.
Third quarter reports After third quarter reports, the last before the election, Warner raised an additional $2 million. Gillespie pulled various television ads, stating "he [did] not have the financial resources" to match Warner.
Outside spending In the debates, Warner said, "I think we ought to get rid of all Super PACs and all outside money." However, throughout the campaign, Super PACs supported Warner while no comparable Super PAC backed Gillespie. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, as of October 23, outside groups had spent $2,571,319 to influence the election.
Campaign finance reports Campaign Finance Reports through December 31 Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand Mark Warner $17,098,544 $18,105,322 $143,390 Ed Gillespie $7,892,202 $7,873,079 $19,123 Robert Sarvis $82,813 $84,949 $-2,136
Cost per vote Warner spent $18,105,322 for the election and received 1,073,667 votes at $16.86 per vote. Gillespie spent $7,873,079 during the campaign and received 1,055,940 votes at $7.46 per vote. Sarvis spent $84,949 and received 53,102 votes at $1.60 per vote.
Debates and forums Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Ed Gillespie agreed to three debates and six forums. Gillespie also agreed to three additional debates, but Warner declined. Libertarian Robert Sarvis, who submitted a petition with over 1,000 signatures to debate organizers, challenged Warner and Gillespie to include him in the debates. In August, Warner accepted the challenge and requested that Sarvis be invited to the remaining debates; Gillespie did not respond. In the end, Sarvis was not invited to any of the debates, and was only invited to one joint appearance.
Confirmed debates Virginia Bar Association The Virginia Bar Association (VBA) debate occurred at 11 a.m. on July 26 at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. PBS NewsHour co-anchor Judy Woodruff moderated the debate, which was free and open to public. The VBA decided to invite only Warner and Gillespie. VBA president John L. Walker III said: "They are the only candidates who qualify under our criteria for invitations." In response to not being invited, Sarvis said, "Virginia voters lost". In addition, some political observers, like the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity's project watchdog.org, noted that issues like surveillance and cronyism were missing from the debate. Fewer than 800 people watched the debate on PBS' livestream, which was characterised by Politico as civil, with both candidates "at their best". The debate was later replayed multiple times on C-SPAN. Complete video of debate
Fairfax Chamber of Commerce The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce hosted a debate on October 7. The debate was moderated by Chuck Todd, the host of Meet the Press. The debate was broadcast live on WRC-TV in Northern Virginia, and was offered to all NBC affiliates in Virginia. In their second debate, Warner and Gillespie aired their differences on marriage equality, the Affordable Care Act, and America's foreign policy challenges. Both candidates appeared uncomfortable at times. Gillespie lashed out against Warner for voting with President Barack Obama "97 percent of the time"; Warner fired back, calling it a "bogus charge". Sarvis was not invited. Complete video of debate
The People's Debate The League of Women Voters of Virginia and American Association of Retired Persons of Virginia hosted "The People's Debate" on October 13 in Richmond, Virginia. The debate was offered by WTVR-TV (CBS) and WCVE-TV (Virginia Public Television) to all of their affiliates. In the third and final debate, the candidates discussed the economy, education, Social Security, healthcare, and campaign finance reform. The debate was heated at times, particularly when Warner spoke against Gillespie's past lobbying experience; Gillespie focused on Warner's recent admission that he called State Senator Phillip Puckett and spoke about jobs for Puckett's daughter. Sarvis was not invited to the debate. Sarvis described the debate as the "no people's debate" because he was "the only candidate not bought and paid for by corporate interests."
Confirmed forums Arlington Civic Federation The Arlington County Civic Federation hosted a forum at 7:30pm on September 2 at Virginia Hospital Center's Hazel Auditorium in Arlington, Virginia. The event was recorded and televised by Arlington Independent Media. More than one hundred people attended the Arlington forum. Sarvis participated in the event; Warner and Gillespie declined.
Northern Virginia Technology Council The Northern Virginia Technology Council and Microsoft co-hosted a forum, at the Microsoft Offices in Reston, Virginia, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on September 8. The forum delved into details about cybersecurity policy, immigration visas for skilled workers and other issues important to the tech community. Warner and Gillespie participated; Sarvis was not invited.
The Battleground