Ben posts the Senator’s retirement announcement here.
Say what you will of the man, and Lord knows, I’ve said plenty, but Chichester’s decision marks the end of an era in Virginia politics.
My understanding from discussions with people who know the Senator is that he had a strong set of values and an even better sense of how to achieve them. While not everyone agreed with his vision for the Commonwealth, he had one (unlike so many others in political life…whose vision seems to extend no further than the next election).
Some of my friends on the right will (and no doubt are) cheering the fact that he is leaving the scene. They ought to — because he had proven himself nearly invincible at the polls, and their chances of ever defeating him were somewhere between slim and none. That said, the race to replace him will be very interesting to watch. And even more, the Senate without him will be a far different place than it is today.