By Bob Gibson
Daily Progress political blogger

William Redpath, the Loudoun County man who lost to Mark Warner for governor and Republican candidate Mark Earley in 2001, wants to take on Warner again this year for the U.S. Senate.

The Virginia Libertarian Party nominated Redpath for the U.S. Senate over the weekend.

Redpath, who is the Libertarian Party’s national chairman, won 14,497 votes in his 2001 Libertarian quest for governor, gaining about 0.8 percent of the total votes cast.

Warner won the governorship that year with 984,177 votes—about 52.2 percent—to 887,234 for Earley, who carried about 47 percent trying to succeed Gov. Jim Gilmore.

Either Gilmore or Del. Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, will carry the GOP banner against Warner this year, depending on which Republican is nominated at the GOP’s May 30-31 state convention in Richmond.