Over 700 ballots were cast during the first two hours of voting at the Durant Center on Cameron St.

By John Arundel
Managing Editor 
 
Old Town resident and famed political consultant James Carville once famously said that one of the reasons he loved Alexandria so much was because, as he put it, "This is the most Democratic city in the state...If not the Universe."

The universe is a pretty big place, but in Carville's smaller universe, Alexandria did not do him wrong Tuesday, with Democrat Barack Obama sweeping all of the city's 27 precincts, capturing nearly 72 percent of the vote, versus John McCain's 27 percent.

"Barack Obama is not a national hero like Dwight Eisenhower, and George Bush is no Harry Truman. But if history was any guide, and absent a dramatic change in election fundamentals or an utter collapse of the Obama candidacy, which did not happen, John McCain was likely to suffer the same fate as Adlai Stevenson," said University of Virginia political scientist, Dr. Larry J. Sabato. "The same held true for Mark Warner."

Nearly 54,000 Alexandria voters streamed into polling places all over the city Tuesday, creating long lines and some frustration among ballot casters who waited in some places more than an hour to cast their votes. Another 16,000 voted by absentee ballot. "Everything went smoothly," said Susan Kellom, chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee. "There were some waits in some places, but that was to be expected given the interest in this election."

About an hour wait was normal during the first two hours of voting at the Durant Center on Cameron St.

McCain, the GOP nominee, was a favorite son, of sorts, having attended grade school at St. Stephens and graduated from Episcopal's Class of 1954. Both schools are located on the city's West End. His brother Joe McCain lives in Alexandria, but resigned from campaign activities a week before election day after apologizing for a bizarre, 3 am phone call to the Alexandria Police Department's 911 line demanding why there was traffic at that hour on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

While in Washington, McCain resides in Crystal City and his national campaign headquarters was located on S. Eads Street in Crystal City. He has long been a fan of Old Town historic restaurant and shopping district.

The city's favorite Democratic son, Mark Warner, did even better, taking 77 percent of the city's vote, defeating Jim Gilmore by 22 percent. “I’m proud of the fact that we have had such across-the-board support from rural Virginia to our cities to suburban communities in between,” Warner told supporters Tuesday night.

Former Alexandria Mayor and Rep. Jim Moran (D-8) won a 10th term in Congress with 70 percent of the city's vote, defeating Mark Ellmore by 28 percent. Green candidate Ron Fisher took less than two percent of the city's vote tally.  

Early voters enter the Durant Center on Cameron St. to cast ballots.

In the end, Warner garnered more than 60 percent of the vote in the election, defeating Republican opponent and former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore.

"This is Mark Warner's night. This is Barack Obama's night. This is the Democratic Party's night. This is America's night," said Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., at the campaign celebration at the McLean Hilton. When Warner joins Webb on Capitol Hill in January, it will be the first time since 1970 that Democrats have held both of the state's U.S. Senate seats.

Warner, stepping onto the dais in front of more than 700 supporters and political activists, said, "I am proud to stand in front of you as a new United States senator."

In his brief acceptance speech, Warner targeted energy, the economy and bipartisanship in Washington as foundations for his political agenda. As the crowd chanted, "Yes we can!" Warner spoke about how he plans to resolve a lot of intractable issues in Washington. "We cannot get the nation on the right track if we continue to look at every problem with the old ideas of red versus blue or black versus white," Warner said.

Long lines of voters wait to cast ballots at the Durant Center on Cameron St. in Alexandria.

Warner spoke optimistically about the future. "We dug Virginia out of a ditch," he said. "We can do the same thing and make America the most competitive nation in the world - if we do it together."

To see a breakdown of how Alexandria voted, log on to:
https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2008/07261AFC-9ED3-410F-B07D-84D014AB2C6B/Unofficial/00_510_s.shtml