Sen. John Warner, R-Va., one of the most influential voices on military matters in the Congress, announced Friday that he would not run for re-election, paving the way for a pitched battle between Democrats and Republicans to claim his seat.

Warner is a pivotal figure in the debate over what to do about the war in Iraq and is likely to be squarely in the middle of efforts to craft legislation this fall to dictate the return of American troops.

He has become increasingly critical of the war, and upon his return from Iraq recently he angered the White House when he said some troops should leave by year’s end.

Warner, 80, is a former Secretary of the Navy, former chairman of the Armed Services Committee and a World War II veteran. With his courtly manner and his tendency to occasionally buck the party line, he is a favorite of senators on both sides of the aisle.

After nearly 30 years in the Senate, Warner had begun to hint that he might not run for another term next year.

“The Senate requires you to go full bore, six or seven days a week, tremendous energy, go to Iraq, jump in and out of helicopters, get on the cargo planes, no sleep,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last weekend. “And I’ve got to assess, at this age, whether it is fair to Virginia to ask for a contract for another six years.”

During an announcement at the University of Virginia, his law school alma mater, Warner said: “You’ve given me my best shot, and I’m quietly going to step aside and make way for others.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., praised his colleague, saying “We are all better for having served with him and his Senate family will miss him.”

The race to replace Warner in the Senate is likely to become one of the hottest in the nation. Virginia was once a staunchly Republican state, but has shifted demographically in recent years, resulting in a Democrat ousting a Republican incumbent senator last year.

Mark Warner, the popular former Democratic governor who is not related to the senator, has said he is interested in running. On the Republican side, Rep. Tom Davis and former governor Jim Gilmore may find themselves competing for the GOP nomination.

(c) 2007, Chicago Tribune.

Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicagotribune.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

—–

ARCHIVE PHOTOS on MCT Direct (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099):

AP-NY-08-31-07 1831EDT