When Virginians go to the polls Tuesday to vote in the presidential primary, they may be surprised to see all the candidates still on the ballot.
Republicans Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson and Ron Paul will be there, as will Democrats John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich.
Those eight candidates won't win the presidential nomination, although some of them may be considered vice presidential material. After a little more than a month of primaries and caucuses and several years of below-the-radar campaigning and fundraising, the Republicans are down to John McCain and Mike Huckabee, while the Democrats are left with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
We support McCain in the Republican primary and Obama in the Democratic primary. They are not only the best of the current field, they have distinguished themselves in uniquely different ways.
McCain is a war hero, a distinguished conservative senator and a loyal Republican who stood by President Bush on the Iraq War. A year ago, McCain's support for the war was supposed to kill his candidacy. Today, it has underscored his loyalty - and his military background.
Some Republicans don't like McCain because of his stands on taxes, immigration and campaign finance reform. But we believe he represents the best chance for the Republican Party to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in November. With the economy teetering, it may be a tough year for the GOP. But it will be impossible without this centrist, hard-working senator from Arizona at the top of the ticket.
On the Democratic side, Barack Obama has raised the hopes and aspirations of voters this year in a way that no other candidate has. Although he is fairly new to elected office, he has touched a nerve - in a positive way - that clearly represents an opportunity to break with the contentious politics of the past.
Our political system was built to withstand the shock of sharp disagreements, but after a while, debate and delay have to give way to accomplishment. Obama is the one candidate most likely to be able to build the broad coalitions our next president will need both at home and abroad, despite his relatively modest political resume.
No one could have guessed how important Virginia would be when Feb. 12 was selected as the primary date. Virginians now have a chance to shape the nominating contests of both major parties.
Republican McCain and Democrat Obama are the best choices in Virginia's presidential primary - and we strongly endorse both men.
Please click here to read Danville Register and Bee endorse John McCain.