As I wrote earlier this month, the Virginia Senate race will be one of the most important races in the nation with regard to aggressive and innovative Internet strategies. CNN.com's Peter Hamby reports on the role the web operation is already having on the campaign trail in a piece titled, "Virginia Senate race will be Web battleground."

I'm quoted in the piece alongside Democratic Web strategist and MyDD founder, Jerome Armstrong, who is Warner's online consultant. (Jerome and I co-host DomeNation - a show focusing on the intersection of tech + politics that will return this Fall.)

Here's an excerpt from the story:

"This Senate race will be the premiere battleground in the modern world," Republican Internet strategist David All said. "The good news is that George Allen's loss was a wake-up call for not only the state party and the National Republican Senatorial Committee but also the rightosphere of conservative activists who are hungry for a rematch."

Given Warner's popularity, a rematch in this purple-trending state will be difficult for Republicans, following Webb's narrow victory last year and Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine's win in 2005. Political observers and consultants in Virginia say the 2008 Senate race could get nasty quick, as Democratic bloggers try to maintain their winning streak and Warner's opponents look for ways to paint the presumptive front-runner as tax-hiking liberal.

The same day Warner announced his intention to run for Senate on YouTube, the NRSC launched a sleek new Web site called "Don'tMarkWarner," attacking Warner's signature moment as governor: his $1.4 billion tax increase, passed in 2004 with the help of the Republican-dominated Legislature to shore up a budget shortfall.

"There's going to be all kinds of stuff said out there to see what sticks," said Jerome Armstrong, Warner's top Web consultant. "The Internet takes the shape of the campaign at a much earlier stage than would happen traditionally in a campaign. That happens so much earlier now, if you're not out there taking part of that battle you're being framed by your opponents and losing the debate. We can't just sit back."

Jerome and his team will fight smart and hard to win this seat for Warner and the liberal netroots in Virginia will do everything in their power to help.

I'm cautiously optimistic that whoever our candidate ends up being, whether Tom Davis, Jim Gilmore, or Eric Cantor, they'll give Jerome a serious run for his money and keep the Senate seat in Republican hands.

With the retirement of Republican U.S. Senator John Warner in Virginia, all eyes are on the open contest.

On the Republican side, I'm hearing names like Congressman Tom Davis, former Governor Jim Gilmore, and Congressman Eric Cantor as likely candidates. All three would be very strong candidates.

But on the left, there's only one name that has me worried, Mark Warner. Today, Warner announced that he's in the race through a YouTube video and a website to help build his list:

Good video. Powerful message.

Without a leading candidate on our side, it's up to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) to help drive the narrative and push-back on Warner.

Fortunately, under the leadership of U.S. Senator John Ensign, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), has become an aggressive, modern campaign committee. And they're already making an impact on the race using modern media strategies.

For example, like most political junkies, one of my first reads each morning is MSNBC's First Read where I found links to Warner's announcement website. But that's not all. I also found a graf dedicated to the efforts of the NRSC:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, however, released its own statement that unveils a Web site highlighting Warner's tax increase in Virginia. "Make no mistake about it, Mark Warner is a politician who can't be trusted to keep his promises to voters," NRSC communications director Rebecca Fisher said. "And his prime example is raising Virginians' taxes by $1.38 billion."

The "Don't Mark Warner" website also has this corny YouTube video which helps drive their message of Warner as a tax-and-spend liberal:

Now, to be fair to previous NRSC staffers, the NRSC's efforts to whip up anti-Dem candidate websites is not a new practice, and if they wouldn't have been prepared for a Mark Warner entry in to the race we'd all have serious doubts about the Committee. But this is the modern campaign trail. This is how things like websites, YouTube, and mainstream media work together--early--to craft narratives about a race.

I'd be remiss not to point out the strength of the Republican Party of Virginia through the leadership of folks like Shaun Kenney. In fact, Kenney has already blogged about the NRSC video which shows you how we everyone can work together to drive a narrative.

And make no mistake: The Virginia Senate race will be the race to watch this year. On the heels of the "macaca" controversy and now a strong sitting Democratic Senator, the netroots and the Democratic Party are hungry for blood in Virginia. They will work tirelessly, together, to help turn Virginia blue.

We must be willing to fight harder, faster, smarter, and quicker if we intend to hold this seat. And on the modern campaign trail, it's actions like those of the NRSC that make me think that we're heading in the right direction.