Warner cancels visit because of sports injury

By Bob Stuart

Published: August 16, 2008

U.S. Senate candidate and former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner’s visit Saturday to Waynesboro and Staunton was canceled because of a flare-up of a sports injury he suffered while playing basketball recently.
However, Warner did briefly call the Waynesboro Democratic Committee headquarters to make some comments during the headquarters’ grand opening at Willow Oak Plaza. Warner called from the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he was treated for the injury.
Alluding to his keynote address Aug. 26 at the Democratic National Convention, he said “a Virginian will be making a pretty good talk on Tuesday night.”
Warner said he is excited about the fall campaign, and said “there are a lot of independents and Republicans who will rally around the cause.”
Of his own November race for the U.S. Senate against Republican Jim Gilmore, Warner said, “There is a great story about how I got things done when I was governor.”
Warner was scheduled to appear in downtown Waynesboro on Saturday for the opening of the Waynesboro Democratic Committee headquarters. He also was to take a Main Street tour of businesses and appear at an afternoon reception at the Waynesboro Heritage Museum.
Late in the afternoon, Warner was to speak at the “Paint the Valley Blue” Democratic fundraiser at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton.
He said the injury that prevented his visit resulted from playing pickup basketball and joked that “53-year-old guys shouldn’t be playing basketball.”
Warner expects to be back campaigning today, and said he will be moving “slower for the next couple of days.”