Former Virginia Governor and potential 2008 presidential candidate Mark Warner will be this year’s recipient of the Harvard College Democrats’ annual “Leadership Award.”

Warner, who as a possible candidate from a southern state is widely expected to appeal to moderate Republicans and independents, will receive the honor at the Dems’ gala in April.

According to the president of the Harvard College Democrats, Eric P. Lesser ’07, the Dems chose to honor Warner because “he embodies what we hope to be the future of the Democratic Party.”

“Even as a Democratic governor in a highly Republican state, Warner showed an uncanny ability to get a lot done—from education reform to fixing a daunting six-billion-dollar budget deficit,” Lesser said.

Honoring a politician with mass appeal goes along with the Dems’ efforts to reach out to a wider audience.

“Within the past year, we have grown so much as an organization and our capacity to put on events that attract a wide array of individuals,” said Erika C. Helgen ’08, the events director for the Dems.

“Our party has a lot of depth—our events show that,” she said.

The Dems hosted a military information session earlier this year.

Recently touted as the “anti-Hillary” in the New York Times, Warner is expected to vie for the Democratic nomination. As a red-state Democrat, Warner had an approval rating of 80 percent when he left office this past January.

But Stephen E. Dewey ’07, president of the Harvard Republican Club, alleged that although Warner was elected governor on a platform of not raising taxes, he did not adhere to this promise.

“He’s a great example of Democratic leadership,” Dewey wrote in an e-mail.

Helgen said the award is granted to a rising star in the Democratic Party who has had a significant impact in recent years and is expected to do “great things” in the future. Last year, Alabama Representative Artur Davis ’90 won the award.

According to Helgen, Warner’s selection for the “Leadership Award” was influenced by his potential candidacy but “is more about the qualities that make him a good candidate.”

Little known nationally until recent months, Warner has been gaining momentum in the Democratic party. Warner received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1980.