Fox Contributor Manufactures Fight Of A Lifetime For Popular VA Senator Mark Warner

Written by Olivia Marshall

Published

Virginia Senator Mark Warner is currently polling 20 points ahead of his Republican challenger Ed Gillespie in the 2014 midterm election, a margin that, to Fox, shows Warner is “running for his life.” 

The January 30 edition of Fox's Happening Now debated whether Democratic candidates are “in trouble this election cycle over Obamacare,” jumping off a recent Politico article about 2014 midterms strategy.  

Fox contributor Pete Snyder -- the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2013 -- used the segment to hype Republican Ed Gillespie's 2014 Senate challenge to Democratic incumbent Mark Warner (VA). Snyder repeatedly claimed that Warner is “in the fight of his life” against Gillespie, “a proven conservative,” because of Warner's vote in favor of health care reform. Snyder cheered, “I'm throwing my weight behind Ed,” before concluding, “Mark Warner is running for his life.”

What Snyder deems as Warner “running for his life” is actually a 20 point lead over his Republican challenger Gillespie. A recent poll by Christopher Newport University's Center for Public Policy showed Warner with a 63 percent approval rating in Virginia and leading Gillespie 50 percent to 30 percent. A Roanoke College poll showed an even wider margin in favor of Warner, 50 percent to 21 percent.

Snyder's description of the VA Senate race is contextualized by his promise to use his platform on Fox to push the Republican Party's agenda in 2014: 

Looking ahead, I think we all know we have a ton of work to do for our conservative movement, for the Republican Party and, most importantly for our Commonwealth and for our country. It won't be easy, but as every day passes, I am more and more optimistic about our chances of getting things going in the right direction!

While I'll be on the airwaves at Fox News pushing for our positive, optimistic vision for the future, I also will continue to work in the grassroots along side each and every one of you. 

UPDATE: Following Snyder's appearance on Fox, the Gillespie campaign promoted video of Snyder's endorsement on its YouTube account. Gillespie also posted on his Twitter account thanking Snyder for the support: