Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate this afternoon in an Internet video hosted on YouTube in which he heavily touted his record as governor and the civility of political discourse in Virginia.

"While we still have an awful lot of work to do to help Virginians who are struggling in a tough time, I know that Washington can learn a few things from Virginia," said Kaine, who currently serves as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Kaine did not mention his work as DNC chairman during the video.

He is the first Democrat to official announce for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Webb (D), who announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election in 2012.

Kaine received the backing of Pres. Barack Obama, who said at a fundraiser in New York on March 29, according to various media reports, that Kaine would be an "outstanding senator" if he chose to run.

The 53-year-old former lieutenant governor and mayor of Richmond is set to address the media on Wednesday in Richmond and will unveil his campaign staff afterward.

So far, three Republicans have declared that they are seeking the seat while others mull a run. The frontrunner is former Sen. George Allen (R), who served a single term from 2001 to 2007. He was unseated by Webb in the race that determined partisan control of the Senate as Webb's victory gave the Democratic caucus a 51-49 advantage over the Republicans following the Nov. 2006 election.

Also running in the Republican primary are Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation co-founder Jamie Radtke (R) and Virginia Beach attorney David McCormick (R).

Two local politicians are also weighing bids for the GOP nomination: Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart (R) and Manassas Del. Bob Marshall (R).

Marshall did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday afternoon. Stewart, however, said that Kaine's entry into the race will not affect his own decision-making process.

"I'm not even thinking about it right now," said Stewart, adding that he is "truly" focused on his re-election campaign for chairman. He faces Haymarket Town Council member Bob Weir in the Republican primary.

Stewart said that what Kaine's entry does mean is that the Democrats will have a "very formidable" candidate and "we Republicans cannot take this race for granted. Tim Kaine is going to be a very well-financed candidate with an obvious advantage on name recognition."

On Kaine, he added, "He doesn't have the baggage that George Allen has and, you know, he's never lost a race."

Stewart said the "warning message" that Kaine's entry brings to Republicans if they nominate Allen is that they should not "take this race for granted and that George Allen has a lot of baggage." Stewart said Allen's 2006 "macaca" comment, which Allen called a video tracker of Indian descent from Webb's campaign in 2006, will "hurt him" in areas with large minority populations, including Prince William County.

"I just think that we would be better to nominate someone that does not have the baggage that clearly George Allen has," said Stewart.

Allen's spokesperson Katie Wright wrote in a press release Tuesday, "After being convinced by his liberal allies in Washington to run, Chairman Kaine's announcement today sets up a clear contrast for the families of Virginia. Whether comparing records and ideas for the future on job creation and innovation, tax and regulatory policy, energy, or protecting Virginia's right to work laws, the differences are clear."

She added, "While Chairman Kaine may try to paint a different picture of his tenure as Governor, it was marked by his proposals calling for staggering tax increases and by substantial job losses for Virginians. As Chairman, Kaine stood with his liberal Washington allies like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi as they imposed their harmful agenda on Virginia and America, making trillion dollar deficits the norm and loading our children with the burden of an unprecedented national debt."

Meanwhile, Radtke said in a statement, "Tim Kaine was one of the first supporters of Barack Obama for president, and supported every one of Obama’s expensive, disastrous policies, from ObamaCare to the massive stimulus bill. And as governor, Kaine literally misplaced one billion dollars in VDOT money, and his campaign priority was transportation!"

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th), who represents parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties, emphasized some of the same points that Connolly did about Kaine being a "formidable" candidate, only adding that Kaine "starts as the frontrunner" in the general election.

Kaine was a "very popular" governor, said Connolly, adding that Kaine "remains so," especially in Northern Virginia.

"I think it's going to be a classic race about the past versus the future," he added, calling Allen's "macaca" comment a throwback to an "old view of Virginia that I think most Virginians want to discard."

Connolly endorsed Kaine's candidacy and said he plans to run his own race championing the president's record, which he thinks Kaine will do too. He said he hopes to coordinate campaigns with Kaine when it comes to phone banking, field organizing and other nuts-and-bolts operations of campaigning that allow them to "achieve efficiencies" that benefit the entire ticket.

Unprompted, Connolly repeated tasked Allen for his 2006 racial slur against S.R. Sidarth, who happened to live in Fairfax County at the time Connolly was chairman of the county.

Problems with Allen's candidacy, he said, include "the racial overtones associated with 'macaca,' the fact that he didn't get that this kid of Indian decent could be a citizen of Northern Virginia... George Allen apparently thought he could get away with ridiculing him with a foreign word to imply that he was something alien in a different part of the state."

Regarding Stewart's potential candidacy, Connolly said in jest, "I strongly encourage Corey Stewart to resign his position as chairman and go after (the Senate) full time in the Republican primary."