WASHINGTON (AP) - Virginia Gov. Mark Warner may not be on John Kerry's short list, but he still has something to offer the Democratic presidential ticket: lessons for raising taxes in a Republican Legislature.
The Democratic governor slashed spending, forged a bipartisan pro-business coalition and exploited a nationwide GOP rift over taxes. Kerry may need to follow those steps if he's sent to the White House with a Republican Congress.
Kerry, who accepts the Democratic nomination in late July, wants to roll back portions of President Bush's tax cuts approved by a GOP-led Congress.
"I believe what we have done in Virginia contains some pretty important lessons for Democrats throughout the United States and our colleagues in Congress," Warner told the moderate Democratic Leadership Council on Tuesday. "Because I believe today we're in a time that cries out for leadership ... on fiscal issues."
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