MORE ON VIRGINIA.

MORE ON VIRGINIA. Adding to our earlier discussion on whether Virginia is following in Delaware�s and Maryland�s historical footsteps, reader David Weigel writes in to point out:

Gov. Tim Kaine isn't a native to Virginia or the South. He was born in St. Paul, MN, and grew in the Kansas City area (the Missouri side) before he went to Harvard for law school. I think this adds some evidence to your concept. In 4-10 years, I think Virginia's politics will look more like Pennsylvania's, with the DC burbs playing the part of Philly and its suburbs. At the very least Democrats are going to start picking up the northern VA congressional seats now held by Tom Davis and Frank Wolf.

Indeed, that seems to be where the long-term trend is going. Furthermore, just double the number of years and, with all the Northern retirees flocking to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and the rest of the Research Triangle Park area, North Carolina may be in exactly the place Virginia finds itself now. The more immediate question is whether this process is far enough along to affect this year's Senate race. Given George Allen's longstanding popularity in the state, my guess is that once the word Macaca is forgotten, it won't be.

--Ben Adler