Former co-workers Signer, Wagner battle for lt. governor bid

RICHMOND

Co-workers in former Gov. Mark Warner’s administration, Democratic attorneys Mike Signer and Jody Wagner are now challenging each other for their party’s nomination for lieutenant governor.

Wagner is a familiar face. She unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2000 and later held prominent roles under Warner and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, serving as state treasurer and finance secretary. She also owns an Oceanfront popcorn shop.

Signer, who’s making his first run for office, is less well known to locals. ’ An author and national security wonk from Arlington County, he has worked on state and national Democratic causes – in 2008, he was a senior strategist on Tom Perriello’s successful congressional campaign and helped shape policy proposals for Barack Obama.

“She’s the front runner, he’s an underdog,” said Richmond-based political pundit Bob Holsworth, who runs the Virginia Tomorrow political Web site.

Voters will decide between the two June 9, in a primary that’s expected to draw a low turnout.

The victor will face incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling in November.

Wagner, 53, is the contest’s moderate, an established candidate with broad support from state and local officials.

She cites her credentials as the state’s onetime financial steward as a key qualification that will inform her advocacy for extending health care coverage to the uninsured and her push for transportation improvements, environmental protections and sound fiscal policy.

“Ultimately, it’s about electing somebody to run against Bill Bolling, who can, when elected, make a difference and solve the problems that Virginia is facing,” Wagner said, adding that Signer is a “bright young man” who lacks seasoning.

Signer, 36, is something of a wild card in the race. He’s attracted some union support and the endorsement of Leslie Byrne, a former state and federal legislator who unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor in 2005.

His progressive pitch revolves around common themes – jobs and the economy, transportation, the environment and the military – as well as social justice and economic fairness issues.

Restoring voting rights to felons who have completed all requirements of their conviction is a prominent piece of his platform. Virginia has some of the most restrictive voter restoration rules in the nation.

He pledges to approach the job as a public advocate, not simply “a placeholder” waiting to run for a more powerful post.

Wagner’s more than 3 to 1 fundraising advantage has allowed her to run television and radio ads.

Signer said his campaign will fund automated calls, mailings and a radio ad aimed at thousands of voters in the closing days of the race. He declined to say whether that advertising strategy includes television.

While both candidates promise to be an active lieutenant governor, the office’s duties and power to shape policy are limited – the Virginia Constitution includes just three sentences that spell out its role.

The lieutenant governor presides in the state Senate and casts tie-breaking votes in the 40-member chamber.

The job’s allure for the politically ambitious is that lieutenant governors aren’t bound by the term limit imposed on governors, and it can be a springboard to the executive mansion, added Holsworth.

“It’s a job that not that many people know exactly what it does,” he noted. “It seems to be a job where you prepare to run for governor.”

It served as a launching pad to higher office for Kaine and is viewed that way by others, too.

Bolling considered running for governor this fall before opting to seek re-election with an eye on future political prospects.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com