Virginia GOPs are already calling Democratic gubernatorial hopeful and former head of the Democratic National Committee Terry McAuliffe "Chairman." Will Obama’s choice of incumbent Virginia governor Tim Kaine to helm the DNC help or hurt Terry’s chances to be elected Kaine’s successor?

McAuliffe is running a general election campaign, ignoring his Democratic primary opponents in his emailed announcement video:

McAuliffe did not mention his competitors in the June Democratic primary, state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County and former state delegate Brian J. Moran of Alexandria. Instead, he sought to contrast himself directly with the Republican nominee, Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, and to portray himself as a natural successor to former Democratic governor Mark R. Warner, who was elected in November to the U.S. Senate, and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D).

Gosh, running a general election campaign as the inevitable nominee without paying attention to primary opponents worked so well for Terry McAuliffe the last national campaign he chaired — for whom? President-Elect Hillary Clinton?

There’s one very good reason why other Virginia Democrats who’d like to be governor in 2009 are afraid of Terry McAuliffe: the combination of his prodigious fundraising skills and the absence of constraints on that fundraising in Virginia elections. As in: there are no constraints at all. Perfect for Terry!

Virginia is a state with no limits on how much an individual, corporation or union can donate to a candidate running for state office, and some say McAuliffe could wage an $80 million campaign — triple what Kaine spent four years ago — if he is the Democratic nominee.

One rival, just-resigned Virginia Assemblyman Brian Moran, is hoping to head off Terry’s out-of-state network with a call to ban non-Virginians from donating:

McAuliffe’s candidacy is bound to appear formidable. His rivals have conceded they can’t possibly match his national fundraising network, but they have sought to portray it as a liability instead of an asset. On Friday, Moran called upon all candidates for governor to accept donations only from Virginians.

While incumbent governor Tim Kaine gets credit for the stunning Obama victory in Virginia last year — the first time the state voted for a non-incumbent Democratic presidential candidate since FDR was first elected in 1932! — Virginia governors have not fared so well when they’ve spent their last year on the national stage, sometimes seeking a larger role in their party.

But Kaine’s decision to become the national party chair is fraught with political risks for him. Former Virginia governors have often seen their popularity plummet after appearing to be more interested in Washington than their job in Richmond.

Former governor James S. Gilmore III was criticized for becoming chairman of the Republican National Committee in his final year in office. Gilmore feuded with Rove and left the job after only a year.

And former governor L. Douglas Wilder left office with an approval rating of just 39 percent after running unsuccessfully for president.

Gilmore, of course, didn’t last long in 2008′s GOP presidential contest and was then soundly defeated in Virginia by Senator-Elect Mark Warner. Doug Wilder proved there are second acts for Virginia governors, even though successive second terms are prohibited, by becoming a popular mayor of Richmond — and frequent guest of Rachel Maddow’s.

The rerun — for Virginia voters — of their incumbent governor appearing on the Sunday talk shows debating national issues and defending the president’s agenda in partisan debates might make his last year a struggle with Richmond GOPs who are hungry for the governor’s mansion after two Democratic occupants. Whether Kaine’s new part-time gig at the DNC will reflect well or poorly on former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe’s chances in the Democratic primary, and perhaps in the general election, is an open question.

But it’s a question Brian Moran should be asking as he tries to limit out-of-state contributions to his formidable (does that rhyme with "inevitable?")  opponent for the gubernatorial nomination.