"Richmond lawyer Lawrence H. Framme III will stay on as chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, after an unsuccessful attempt by Gov. Mark R. Warner to find a successor.

Framme said in March that he was planning to resign to run the Virginia campaign of a Democratic presidential candidate. Democratic sources said that candidate is Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

At the time Framme said he felt a party chairman should remain neutral in a nominating contest.

However, after consulting with chairmen in other states, Framme said he felt he could run the Kerry Virginia campaign and at the same time remove himself from establishing the rules and procedures for the state's nominating contest. Frank Leone, the second vice chair of the party, will be in charge of the rule-making. Leone will be neutral, Framme said.

In the hopes of increasing their influence, Democrats in Virginia set their presidential primary for Feb. 10. Virginia will be the twelfth state to nominate.

In 2000, Democrats in Virginia did not elect delegates to the national convention until after Al Gore already had locked up the nomination.

Anticipating Framme's resignation, Warner tried to talk other candidates into serving, according to Democratic sources. Reportedly, he was turned down by Jeff Mitchell, a Blacksburg lawyer who helped manage his campaign for governor in 2001. Mitchell cited family considerations. Charlottesville City councilwoman Meredith Richards and Del. Clifton A. "Chip" Woodrum of Roanoke also were mentioned as possible chairs.

Ellen Qualls, Warner's press secretary, said she could not say whether Warner had sought others to serve.

"He has not actively conducted a search because he holds Larry in high regard," she said. "He is pleased to have a strong chairman on board during the important General Assembly elections."

Steve Farnsworth, political science professor at Mary Washington College, said the difficulty in finding a new chairman spotlights the Democratic Party's "lack of a bench. This is true for elected officials as well as party activists." " (Tyler Whitley, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 3, 2003)