‘Ol’ Virginny is dead,‘ a proud Kaine says

It's a good time to be a Democrat in Virginia.

Come January, the state will have two Democratic U.S. senators -- Jim Webb and the newly elected Mark R. Warner.

Democrats could emerge with six of the state's 11 seats in the House of Representatives -- up from three -- depending on two unresolved races.

And, the state has a Democratic governor -- Timothy M. Kaine -- who happens to be buddies with the next president of the United States, Barack Obama.

Kaine, fatigued and overwhelmed, reflected on Obama's historic election yesterday as he and his wife, Anne Holton, met with reporters at the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol.

"It's an amazing day and still sinking in," Kaine said. "Truly one of the best days of our lives, and we're really proud."

Kaine said that by voting for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1964 -- and choosing Obama, an African-American -- Virginia sent a profound message.

"I think a lot of people have a stereotype in their head that Virginia is still Ol' Virginny," Kaine said.

"I'm here to tell you folks, Ol' Virginny is dead. Ol' Virginny is dead."

Kaine was alluding to "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," which was the state song for decades. State lawmakers retired it in 1997 because of lyrics many considered insensitive to blacks.

"We are a new and dynamic and exciting commonwealth," Kaine continued. "We proudly claim our past -- the successes of the past we wear as badges of honor, and the failures of the past we wear as scar tissue that has toughened us up.

"But we're not looking in the past, and we're not living in the past," Kaine added. "We're looking ahead."

Kaine said dissatisfaction with President Bush's administration influenced Democrats' emphatic electoral success in the state.

But he said the results also demonstrated that Virginians will reward problem-solvers who try to get people to work together.

Kaine said seeing Virginia turn Democratic blue was the "holy grail" of his political goals. But the success also resonated with him and Holton -- the daughter of former Gov. Linwood Holton -- on a personal level.

When news organizations called Virginia and the nation for Obama, the state's first family shed tears of joy.

"It was a three-generation tearing-up experience," Holton said. As governor from 1970 to 1974, her father presided over the integration of the state's educational system and said the commonwealth should be a model for race relations.

"This is personally so gratifying to me," Kaine said. He said he and his wife are devoted to public service and have always "tried to have a heart for racial reconciliation and reaching across old divisions and getting people to work together. That's really been my mission in life."

While Democrats hailed the party's gains in Virginia, Sen.-elect Warner discouraged reading too much into Tuesday's results.

"I don't think there is a permanent political realignment going on," Warner told reporters at his campaign headquarters in Alexandria.

Warner said that when Congress convenes in January with expanded Democratic majorities it should get the most "bang for our buck" with legislation to increase domestic production of all energy sources.

He also proposed a public-private partnership to help restore America's slumping auto industry and spur the development of more fuel-efficient vehicles.

To Kaine, the success story of the Obama campaign was its person-to-person contacts, an old-school grass-roots approach to organizing and its fundraising through the Internet.

"I do think momentum carries over," Kaine said. "But we pride ourselves on organization. . . . I think we're going to keep having some real great opportunities for success."

Kaine hadn't yet spoken to Obama yesterday morning, but he knew what he would say:

"You believed in Virginia, and your trust was worth it -- because we believed in you."

Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or .

Staff writer Neil H. Simon contributed to this report.