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Beyond Hillary Clinton: Eight Democrats who might run if she doesn’t

If Hillary Clinton runs, few other Democrats will. But if she doesn't, there's a big potential field out there. 

5. Mark Warner

Alex Brandon/AP/File
Sen. Mark Warner, (D) of Virginia, one of the leaders of 'The Gang of Six' participates in a discussion on the federal budget, deficit reduction and the debt ceiling during a luncheon of the Economic Club in Washington, D.C., in this June 2011 file photo.

  • By Linda Feldmann Staff writer

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia was considered a top-tier prospect for the 2008 presidential race, until he took himself out of contention, citing family concerns. Now the talk is back for 2016.

Warner, a wealthy former businessman, was a popular Virginia governor from 2002 to 2006, then easily won a seat in the Senate in 2008. Now he’s running for reelection and faces former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie as his likely fall opponent.

Some Democrats doubt he’ll run for president, because his centrist approach in the Senate could make it hard for him to excite liberals, making it difficult to win a presidential primary. Warner was a member of the Senate’s bipartisan Gang of Six – three Democrats, three Republicans – who tried unsuccessfully in 2011 to work out a deficit reduction deal. In 2012, the group expanded into a Gang of Eight, with Warner at its heart, but it was also unsuccessful. 

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Mark Sappenfield
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