Republican candidate for Senate in Virginia, former RNC chairman and lobbyist Ed "Ichabod" Gillespie, is running so far behind popular Dem Sen. Mark Warner that he's throwing a final desperate Hail Mary pass: he's making Washington's disparaging football team name an issue. Ichabod says he'll fight proposals to change the team's name (the team's facilities are in Northern Virginia, where much of the fan base resides). Ironically for Ichabod, team owner Li'l Danny Snyder has given Mark Warner's campaign $5,200 in contributions, a pretty clear signal of who he's betting on to win.
He's so far behind Warner that he pulled his own ads a few weeks ago, and is being deserted by contributors who see the handwriting on the wall. Stalwart Republican icons such as former Sen. John Warner (no relation to Mark Warner) have appeared in ads for Sen. Warner. Gillespie's desperation moves won't help him chip away at his opponent's overwhelming lead.
