Amplifying the Democrats’ desire to win Virginia this fall, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has tapped former Old Dominion Gov. Mark Warner, also a candidate for the Senate, to serve as the keynote speaker at the party’s national convention in Denver later this month.

Warner will speak on the second night of the nominating event, which kicks off Aug. 25. He will share the stage that night with Obama’s one-time rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.).

Viewed as one of the Democrats’ up-and-comers, Warner is the heavy favorite against another former Virginia governor, Jim Gilmore (R), to succeed retiring Sen. John Warner (R). The win would give the Democrats both of Virginia’s Senate seats as well as the governor’s chair, which is held by Tim Kaine. Kaine is one of several candidates being vetted by Obama’s campaign as a possible vice presidential nominee.

“As Governor of Virginia, Warner used his experience in business to help deliver jobs and hope to the citizens of Virginia,” Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said. “His work creating jobs in Southwest and Southside Virginia is a model for the rest of the Country. Like Barack Obama, Mark Warner is not afraid to challenge the status quo to bring people together and get things moving. It’s that kind of spirit and innovation that resulted in his selection as keynote speaker on a night when we will be discussing how to renew America’s promise.”