If Kaine says No to Senate Bid, Perriello May Say Yes

One term former Congressman Tom Perriello is considering running for Webb's U.S. Senate seat in 2012 should Kaine ultimately say no after his expected conversation on the subject with President Obama, according to Roll Call Politics via the Washington Post.

Defeated Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) would consider running for the Senate in 2012 if Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine opts not to enter, Perriello told the Washington Post on Wednesday.

“It’s obviously nice” to hear his name mentioned as a contender to succeed Sen. Jim Webb (D), who announced last week that he would not seek re-election in 2012, Perriello said.

Perriello narrowly won the 5th District seat from then Congressman Virgil Goode in 2008 but lost the seat to former State Senator Robert Hurt in 2010.  Perriello was endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund (PVF) in 2010, which was not received well by some NRA members in the district.

There are currently two candidates vying for the Republican nomination - former U.S. Senator George Allen and Tea Party activist Jamie Ratke.