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The Virginia Senate election of 2006 will be held on November 7, 2006. The winner will serve from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2013.

The incumbent, Republican George Allen, is running for a second term. He was previously governor of Virginia, and is considered a possible candidate for president in 2008. The Democratic candidate, James H. Webb, is a writer and former Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan. Webb is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who beat IT lobbyist Harris Miller in the June 13, 2006 primary election. Gail Parker, a businesswoman, retired Air Force officer, and retired Pentagon budget analyst, is running as the Independent Green Party candidate.

In early August, polls had Allen clearly in the lead, but Allen's lead was cut dramatically after he was videotaped on August 11 making what critics deemed a racially insensitive remark. Allen denied any prejudice in the comment.

Democratic primary

Both Webb and Miller received endorsements from within the party, with most of Webb's coming from national Democrats while most of Miller's came from local Democrats. Webb received a campaign contribution from Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate, and former leader Tom Daschle. He also received the endorsement of Senator Richard Durbin, the Democratic Whip; former Senator Bob Kerrey; Representative John Murtha; former Representative Leslie Byrne, General Wesley Clark, Senator John Kerry, Representative Owen Pickett, former State Delegate Chap Petersen, and eleven of the members of former Senator Chuck Robb's staff. Miller was endorsed by a large number of Virginia state senators and the Alexandria city council. Miller also received the endorsement of Kate Michelman, the only abortion-rights endorsement in the primary.

The week before the primary, Miller said a Webb campaign flier characterized him in an anti-Semitic way; Webb denied that it did.

Federal Election Commission reports show that in the first part of 2006, Miller raised more than twice as much money as Webb, who entered the race in February. (Miller contributed over $1 million to his own campaign, 60% of what he raised.)

The primary was held on June 13, 2006. Webb was the winner, garnering 53.5% of the vote to Miller's 46.5%. The election was the only significant race on the ballot, and was marked by low turnout: only 3.44% of registered Virginia voters cast ballots. Against predictions to the contrary before the primary Miller did better in the more conservative areas of the state.

Independent Green Party of Virginia candidate

Gail Parker is state secretary of the Independent Green Party of Virginia, which is unaffiliated with and generally more conservative than the national Green Party. In 2005, she ran as a candidate for Virginia State delegate for the 44th district, receiving 3.3% of the vote. For the 2006 election, Parker's party collected more than 20,000 signatures, leading the Virginia state board of elections to place her on the ballot on May 23.

General election campaign

Webb focuses on his early and outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq, which Allen supported. Two months before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, Webb blasted the idea in a Washington Post opinion piece: "A long-term occupation of Iraq would beyond doubt require an adjustment of force levels elsewhere, and could eventually diminish American influence in other parts of the world." Webb’s son, a U.S. Marine is serving in Iraq.

Allen and Webb differ on other issues. Allen is pro-life while Webb is pro-choice. Allen supported George Bush’s tax cuts while Webb argues that more of the benefits should have gone to middle-class Americans. Both candidates support the death penalty, both support right_to_work laws, and both support 2nd Amendment rights. Allen retained a substantial lead in fundraising: $6.6 million on hand to Webb’s $1.1 million as of 15 September 2006. But political analyst Larry Sabato said that, "I am a Democratic Party shill, a hack. I do not have any objectivity or credibility whatsoever. You shouldn't take anything I say seriously.”

Controversies

Allen's Barr Labs investment

On August 8, 2006, it was revealed that Allen, who opposes abortion rights, owned stock in Barr Laboratories, the only American maker of the Plan B "morning after pill," an emergency contraceptive intended to prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of intercourse. The Webb campaign criticized Allen for holding stock in a company that makes a product that many of his supporters oppose. Allen responded by saying that he holds the stock because Barr Labs has created jobs in Virginia, and by pointing to his consistently pro-life voting record. Allen has no plans to sell the stock.

Macaca controversy

On Friday, August 11, 2006, Allen twice called S.R. Sidarth, a 20-year-old Webb campaign volunteer, "Macaca." Sidarth is of Indian ancestry, but was born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia. As a "tracker" for the opposing Webb campaign, Sidarth was filming an Allen campaign stop in Breaks, Virginia, near the Kentucky border.

During a speech, Allen paused, then began referring to Sidarth:

This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great. We're going to places all over Virginia, and he's having it on film and it's great to have you here and you show it to your opponent because he's never been there and probably will never come. Let's give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.

According to Sidarth, he was the only person of color present among the crowd of 100 or so Republican supporters, some of whom applauded Allen's remarks.

The Webb campaign accused Allen of using a racial insult; Macaca has been identified as a Francophone epithet for North African indigenes, and commentators have suggested that he may have heard the slur from his mother who is French Tunisian. The word has different meanings in other languages, for example, the word macaca/macaco means fool, clown, simpleton in Italian.

According to the Washington Post, Allen's campaign manager initially dismissed the incident with an expletive. Allen later said that he had heard his staff use the term "macaca" in reference to Sidarth, that he did not know what the word meant, and that he did not intend to insult Sidarth's ethnicity when he singled him out to the crowd. "I do apologize if he's offended by that," Allen said, adding that "I would never want to demean him as an individual."

Shortly after, Allen's campaign held that he used the word in reference to Sidarth's hairstyle. Although Sidarth was wearing a baseball cap on the day of the incident, he had been conversing casually with Allen's aides during campaign stops before the incident. Allen's campaign staff claim to have referred to him privately as "Mohawk." A now widely disseminated photo of Sidarth, hosted by the Webb campaign, shows Sidarth's hair to be longer in the middle and shaved on the sides, typical of a mohawk.

On August 15, John Reid, Allen's communications director, told the New York Times that members of Allen's campaign had "good-naturedly" nicknamed Sidarth "Mohawk" when speaking among themselves, but could not explain how the word might have morphed into "macaca." Reid told the Times that Sidarth only received a nickname from Allen campaign staff because he would not give his real name. Interviewed that day on CNN, however, Sidarth recalled shaking Allen's hand earlier in the week and giving his name. "He's very good with names, legendarily. He tries very hard to remember peoples' names when meeting them," Sidarth said. As for the "macaca" remark, "I am disappointed that someone like a Senator of the United States could use something completely offensive."

On August 16, the National Journal reported that two Virginia Republicans who heard the word used by Allen's campaign staff said "macaca" was a neologism created from "Mohawk" and "caca," Spanish slang for excrement. "Said one Republican close to the campaign: 'In other words, was a shit-head, an annoyance.'"

By August 20, Allen began insisting that he had never before heard the word, and that he simply made it up, contrary to original explanations from Allen and his staff.

After several public apologies, Allen called Sidarth twelve days after the incident, on August 23, to apologize directly for his remarks. In spite of Allen's apology, his campaign manager Dick Wadhams has continued to blame opponent Webb, the media, and Allen's "leftist" foes for a "feeding frenzy."

The incident reduced Allen's once-broad polling margin over Webb to single digits.

Webb's Reagan ad

On September 7, 2006, Webb released his first television advertisment. It featured footage of a 1985 speech by Ronald Reagan praising Webb at the secretary's alma mater, the United States Naval Academy in 1985.

The next day, an official working for the Reagan Presidential Foundation faxed a letter to Webb's campaign on behalf of former first lady Nancy Reagan, urging them not to air the advertisement because it was "very negative" and therefore "not authorized or appropriate." In response, Jim Webb told reporters that George Allen could go to the Reagan library to find something Reagan said in support of him.

The Webb advertisement also aired in Norfolk, Roanoke, and Northern Virginia.

The Reagan Library had asked other political campaigns to pull advertising involving the former president's image. In 2004, it criticized the conservative Club for Growth for an advertisement comparing George W. Bush to Reagan.

On September 15, a Washington Post editorial supported Webb's advertisement and chided the Allen campaign for crying foul, saying that neither protest by Allen's campaign or Reagan's Library (later corrected to the Reagan Presidential Foundation) has any merit:

The president is a public official, paid by the taxpayers. His speeches are in the public domain; they belong to all Americans, and to history. His words may fairly be the subject of bitter debate and divergent interpretation for decades or centuries to come, but they should not be censored posthumously. In this instance, r. Webb has neither distorted Mr. Reagan's words nor taken them out of context; nor did Mr. Reagan ever repudiate them.

Allen at Fairfax County Republican Committee's Ethnic Rally

On September 9, Allen attended, along with local members of the Virginian House of Representatives, other elected officals, and candidates for public office, an "Ethnic Community Rally" at Thomas Edison High School in Fairfax County, Virginia (the postal address of this school, however, is identified as being part of Alexandria, Virginia, due to a technicality). The Fairfax County Republican Committee (FCRC), together with several ethnically-based Republican groups, has sponsored this event for several years. Participating organizations included local Republican groups drawn from Filipino Americans, Black Americans, Asian-Indian Americans, as well as other ethnic minorities. Reports that Sen. Allen organized the event are mistaken; he served, instead, as a guest speaker, supposedly in a response to the incident where Allen called a volunteer for Webb who was filming a previous appearance a macaca. Protesters from both ends of the political spectrum demonstrated outside the high school, some dressed in gorilla costumes as a reference to Allen's remark, and others displayed signs demanding that Sen. Allen take a harder line against illegal immigrants. Kate deCiccio, who took part in the protest, said she was there "to let him know that racism is not acceptable," while another protester suggested that Allen was "holding a fake diversity rally."

Both Allen supporters and Webb's video recorded the event. Webb supporters claim the videos show more white faces than non-white. If that is true, it may reflect the county's 70% white population and not that George Allen was excluding ethnic minorities. However, a different press describes the crowd's appearance as chiefly of Asian descent.

Webb's stance on women in combat

On September 13, 2006, five female graduates of the United States Naval Academy had a press conference promoted by the Allen campaign to assail a Washingtonian article in 1979. They accuse Webb of fostering an air of hostility and harassment towards females within the academy. In the article, entitled "Women Can't Fight," Webb described his personal experiences in the Vietnam War as a U.S. Marine infantry officer, and explained why he believed combat was an inappropriate environment for women. Webb also wrote that that he had never met a woman, "whom I would trust to provide those men with combat leadership." The article also characterized the Naval Academy dormitory situation as "a horny woman's dream," due to the ratio of men to women being 4000 to 300 at the time.

The five women, who attended the Naval Academy from the late 1970s to early 1980s, asserted that the article led to male midshipmen constantly harrassing and humiliating them. Some even went so far as to wear "Jim Webb Fan Club" t-shirts.

In response to the allegations, Webb's campaign released a statement that he wrote the article during a time of great emotional debate over a wide array of social issues in this country, and the tone of this article was no exception." He added that he is "completely comfortable" with the present roles of women within the Naval Academy and the modern military. Webb expressed that at the time he wrote the article he did not anticipate its effects, "and to the extent that my writing subjected women at the Academy or the active Armed Forces to undue hardship, I remain profoundly sorry."

Allen himself has come under fire for similar attitudes he supported regarding the Virginia Military Institute. Allen remarked in 2000 that women "should not be in foxholes," and that "The purpose of the armed services is not to be a social experiment." A 2000 candidate-guide published by the Virginian-Pilot reiterated this stance of Allen's.

"Meet the Press" debate

On September 17, Allen and Webb appeared on NBC's Meet the Press for a debate. Part of the program's debate series on the midterm elections, the debate heavily discussed both the original Gulf War and the present war in Iraq. Host Tim Russert questioned Webb about his initial support for Allen's 2000 U.S. Senate run, as well as what led him to later oppose Allen. Russert also questioned Allen about a remark Webb made concerning his interactions with Allen at the start of the Iraq conflict. Webb assserted that he approached Allen regarding U.S. involvement in the region and cautioned against military action. Webb also claimed that Allen responded to this by saying "You’re asking me to be disloyal to the president." After being questioned on this by Russert, Allen clarified by saying "No, it’s loyalty to this country, and making sure that our country is unified in, in this, in this effort to disarm Saddam Hussein. That was the point." Allen also addressed what he saw as a weakness in Webb, claiming his opponent wanted to withdraw from Iraq. Webb clarified his belief that the U.S. has a commitment to ensure Iraq is stable before withdrawing, but also reasserted that a permanent U.S. presence in Iraq is not an option.

The debate likewise covered an upcoming vote on the use of coercive interrogation methods on enemy combatants. Allen stated that he had not yet made a decision on how to vote, but stated "Now, the key in all of this is I don’t want to stop these interrogations. I’m not for torture, I’m not for waterboarding, but some of these techniques have been very helpful to us, whether, whether they are sleep deprivation, or whether there’s loud music. And I need to be absolutely certain that what the interrogations—interrogators are doing now—which is completely fine as far as I’m concerned, protecting Americans—will not be harmed by the proposal." Webb expressed that this was an issue close to him as a former soldier, but also stated that he did not believe interrogations should be ended completely. Webb however reaffirmed his concerns that if the U.S. abandons the Geneva Convention its soldiers will suffer abroad.

Russert questioned Webb on the recent allegations that his 1979 Washingtonian article fostered hostility towards female students at the Naval Academy. Webb responded as he had in prior press releases, expressing his regret for the repercussions of the article. Russert similarly asked Allen about a statement he made in 2000 in the pages of American Enterprise magazine that "If admitted women, it wouldn’t be the VMI that we’ve known for 154 years. You just don’t treat women the way you treat fellow cadets. If you did, it would be ungentlemanly, it would be improper." Allen responded that VMI has made great progress in a co-ed curriculum, making women cadets more of a possibility than at the time he made the statement.

Allen's remarks about his Jewish heritage

Allen and Webb debated each other two days after their debate on Meet the Press at the Chamber of Commerce for Fairfax County. One of the more interesting aspects of this debate came when Allen was questioned by WUSA-TV anchor Peggy Fox. Fox asked: ""It has been reported your grandfather Felix, whom you were given your middle name for, was Jewish. Could you please tell us whether your forebears include Jews and, if so, at which point Jewish identity might have ended?" This led to a booing from the crowd and anger from Allen who responded by stating "To be getting into what religion my mother is, I don't think is relevant...Why is that relevant -- my religion, Jim's religion or the religious beliefs of anyone out there?" The next day – September 19, 2006 – Allen issued a statement confirming his mother's Jewish ancestry. The statement read:

I was raised as a Christian and my mother was raised as a Christian. And I embrace and take great pride in every aspect of my diverse heritage, including my Lumbroso family line’s Jewish heritage, which I learned about from a recent magazine article and my mother confirmed.

Allen also told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, in a gratuitous reference to kosher dieting, "I still had a ham sandwich for lunch. And my mother made great pork chops."

PAC ad on Allen's body armor vote

Vote Vets PAC, a political action committee formed in 2006 that is primarily composed of former Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, released a television advertisement criticizing Allen for voting against body armor for US troops in 2003.

Allen's vote came on a Democratic amendment that would have increased National Guard funding for body armor, The Arizona Republic suggested -- and the website FactCheck.org asserted -- that Allen and his Republican colleagues have never voted against supplemental funding for body armor.

On September 21, the progressive website Media Matters claimed to have debunked claims by the Arizona Republic and FactCheck.org. In their report, Media Matters reports that Senator Allen voted against troop body armor not once, but twice.

In the first vote against troop body armor, Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana in a March 26, 2003, press release, further explained that the bill "targets shortfalls identified by the National Guard and Reserve in their Unfunded Requirement lists," including the "shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests.

On October 2, 2003, Allen voted against a Democratic amendment a second time written by Senator Christopher Dodd to the $87 billion emergency supplemental bill to increase the amount of funding devoted to body armor and battlefield clearance to ensure that both needs were met. The Dodd amendment would have added $322 million to the $300 million the Senate Appropriations Committee had already attached to the underlying bill for small arms protection inserts SAPI body armor and battlefield cleanup.

Dodd said in his October 2, 2003, floor statement that his intent in offering the amendment was to make certain that U.S. forces in Iraq were provided adequate body armor, which he described as a "top priority." In his statement, he cited a September 26, 2003, report by the assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller that requested an additional $420 million for the battlefield cleanup alone.

Allen's alleged use of a racial epithet

Main article: George Allen - Allegations of Allen's use of racial slur in college

Salon published a story in late September claiming that three former college football teammates of Sen. George Allen said that he repeatedly used an inflammatory racial epithet and demonstrated racist attitudes toward blacks during the early 1970s. Critics of the article countered by saying that the only named source for the allegations was Dr. Ken Shelton, a white radiologist in North Carolina who played tight end for the University of Virginia football team when Allen was quarterback. However, on September 29, Edward Sabornie, a professor at North Carolina State University who had been in Allen's class and played football with him, decided to go on record with his allegations. Sabornie had commented under condition of anonymity (due to fear of retribution from the Allen campaign )in Salon's previous article about Allen's use of the slur. In that article, he was described as a 'white teammate' and commented that using racial epithets "was so common with George when he was among his white friends. the terminology he used." Sabornie also recalled Allen as having referred to blacks as "roaches" and Latinos as "Wetbacks.." He is a registered independent who says that he has shown support for Allen in the past, such as writing Allen a congratulatory letter after he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000.

The first Salon article was followed by accusation by "Larry J. Sabato, one of Virginia's most-quoted political science professors and a classmate of Allen's in the early 1970s, said in a televised interview ... that Allen used the epithet." Allen called the claims "ludicrously false," explaining, "he story and comments and assertions in are completely false. I don't remember ever using that word and it is absolutely false that that was ever part of my vocabulary."

Webb's alleged use of a racial epithet

In late September, Webb was asked if he had ever used the "N-word." Webb replied that "I don't think that there's anyone who grew up around the South that hasn't had the word pass through their lips at one time in their life." Webb noted that that word and a lot of other epithets were in "Fields of Fire," a novel Webb wrote about the Vietnam War.

Allen campaign officials referred reporters to Dan Cragg, a former acquaintance of Webb's. Craig said that Webb told him in 1983 that Webb and members of his ROTC unit at the University of Southern California would "hop into their cars, and would go down to Watts," taking fake rifles, yell out epithets, "point the rifles at them, pull the triggers and then drive off laughing."

Spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd quoted Webb as saying: "In 1963, you couldn't go to Watts and do that kind of thing. You'd get killed. So of course I didn't do it. I would never do that. I would never want to do that."

Sons of Confederate Veterans

On September 28, 2006 the Sons of Confederate Veterans criticized Allen when the group claimed Allen criticized Southern heritage. The group criticized the Republican for saying he had been slow to grasp the pain that Old South symbols like the Confederate flag cause black people.

Virginia's changing politics

Virginia is one of the more moderate Southern states, although its congressional delegation is mostly conservative, with eight of eleven Congressmen and both Senators belonging to the Republican Party. Despite this, Democrats have won the last two gubernatorial races, in 2001 and 2005. The state's political majority has been changing from conservative white to a mixture of races, especially Hispanic. The state is increasingly diverse; it has the highest percentage of Asians (4.7%, according to the 2005 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census) of any Southern state. 9.9% of Virginians are foreign-born.

Polling

References

1. Wilmore, J.C. (2006-05-24). "U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow endorses Jim Webb" (Blog). The Richmond Democrat Blog. J.C. Wilmore.
2. "Endorsing Harris Miller..." (Website). Harris Miller for US Senate. Retrieved 2006-10-01.
3. Lewis, Bob (2006-06-09). "Flier Blasted on Drawing of Jewish Opponent". ABC News, the Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-10-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. "Harris N. Miller: 2006 Politician Profile". The Center for Responsive Politics. 2006-09-15. Retrieved 2006-10-01.
5. Whitley, Tyler (2006-07-31). "Eleven independents seek seats in Congress from Va".
6. Fiske, Warren (2006-06-02). "Rail proponent earns spot on this fall's Senate ballot". The Virginian-Pilot.
7. Webb, James (2002-09-02). "Heading for Trouble: Do we really want to occupy Iraq for the next 30 years?" (Website). The Washington Post. jameswebb.com. Retrieved 2006-10-01.
8. "James Webb on the Issues". OnTheIssues.
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50. Nickell, Joe (September 208, 2006). "Group accuses Allen of spurning heritage". Associated Press. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

See also

• United States Senate elections, 2006
• Virginia gubernatorial election, 2005

External links

• Meet the Press with Allen and Webb: debate video excerpts , and debate transcript
• 2006 Voter’s Guide by the League of Women Voters of Virginia

Campaign websites

• George Allen
• Jim Webb
• Gail Parker

• Virginia elections
• United States elections, 2006
• United States Senate elections by state