Dems stay late, celebrate

Although Jim Webb didn’t make his victory speech until after 1 a.m., the ballroom of the Sheraton Premiere Hotel at Tysons Corner was packed to the gills. Democrats, excited despite the possibility of a vote recount, kept the party going.

One who couldn’t be happier was Webb’s brother, Gary Webb. Dressed in a Scottish clan kilt and greeting well-wishers in the hotel lobby, he beamed about his older brother’s success.

He’s been playing the bagpipes for about 15 years and traveled from Minneapolis to play before Webb’s victory speech.

“He’s a great lover of the pipes,” Gary Webb said of his brother. “He said, ‘I want you to walk me out, I want you to pipe me in, and then I’m going to bring my Marine buds in.'”

He was surprised when Jim Webb announced he was running for the Senate.

“Jim has always had a very effective venue for getting his political thoughts across through his books and movie adaptations. I thought that was great venue, and why would he want to leave that to go the Senate?” Gary Webb said. “He said, ‘No, the Senate must change.'”

He called a Democratic Congress a “good way to operate because at that point you have a built-in counterweight, a built-in devil’s advocate.”

Many others were excited about the change of the guard.

“Checks and balances, that’s what this country needs,” said Khaira Al-Khalili, a Northern Virginia Community College horticulture student from Berryville. She said she hopes for lower – or at least steady – tuition rates.

As the night wore on, bloggers and journalists constantly refreshed the Virginia Board of Elections Web site as others watched CNN on huge screens. Around 11 p.m., with Allen ahead, Webb came on stage flanked by Gov. Tim Kaine and former Gov. Mark Warner to say he projected a win.

His personality played a big part in the race, supporters said.

“Webb has really come out as a person of integrity, who has stood by his ideas, even if it doesn’t work for him in the polls,” said Adnan Bakhari of the Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee. A resident of Springfield born in Pakistan, Bakhari said it wasn’t simply Sen. George Allen losing the race.

“As the people saw the venerability of George Allen, they started taking much more interest in this race,” he said. “Webb has done his part by approaching issues in the right manner.”

Some saw positive signs in the primary election against Harris Miller. Dan Shyne of Veterans for Webb said he also helped beat Miller in an election 22 years ago.

“From a strategic position of the year of (lobbyist Jack) Abramoff, you don’t want to put up a lawyer-lobbyist,” like Miller, Shyne said. Contrastingly, he grew to admire Webb. “The more I found out about him, the more I liked him. I think he’s really great.”

His service in the Marines and later as secretary of the Navy earned the group’s backing.

“To say he served in the Marine Corps is a brutal understatement. He has everything but the Congressional Medal of Honor,” Shyne said.

Leslie Byrne, former congresswoman for the 11th District and a candidate for lieutenant governor in 2005, said she backed Webb early on.

“He’s a gentleman and has real ideas about economic justice and how we’re going to get out of Iraq,” she said. He is in the right on women’s issues like pay equality and family medical leave, despite Allen’s attempts to sway women by showing graphic passages from Webb’s novels.”

She was excited by the improvements shown by the Virginia Democrats.

“We’re in a purple stage now,” she said. “Virginia is changing, I ran as a progressive Democrat and lost by 7/10 of a percent” to conservative Bill Bolling.

Not every Webb fan stood on two legs. Kara Bowling and Michael Klitzner of Fairfax City brought their miniature poodles Lucille and Merry Brandybuck to celebrate.

“The dogs have done canvassing with me, and they have also with me when I’ve don’t phone banking,” she said. “Tonight we want to be here, our whole family.”

Many noted Webb’s rapid ascendancy and Allen’s tumble from being a favored presidential contender. The “macaca” incident and his reaction to questions about his Jewish heritage rolled off many tongues.

“When you consider in February he had no money and no name ID, to be where he is today is phenomenal,” Delegate Brian Moran of Alexandria said about Webb. As Democratic Caucus chairman of the House of Delegates, he sees a clear line of victories.

“It began in 2001 with Mark Warner’s election,” he said. “We picked up seats in 2003, the governor and General Assembly seats in 2005, and now with Jim Webb’s win, there’s a continuum of Democratic leadership.”

The energy will continue into the 2007 Virginia Legislature elections, during which every member is up for reelection.

Moran also celebrated the victory of his brother, Jim Moran, who defended the 8th District. Moran bolstered the crowd, saddened by the losses of House hopefuls Andrew Hurst, Jim Nachman and Phil Kellam.

“Virginia is a state of fairness, and that epitomizes Jim,” said Delegate Donald McEachin of Richmond, who joined Webb onstage when he announced his victory at around 1 a.m.

The prospect of a recount didn’t worry him at the late hour.

“I’ve yet to see a recount in Virginia that did anything but validate the results of election night, and this one will be no different,” McEachin said.