Allen Flap May Give A Boost To Webb

"Webb doesn't have his policy ducks in a row, and he doesn't have his campaign ducks in a row," said Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax). "Is Allen running a perfect campaign? No, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. But they certainly know how to run a campaign."

Dick Wadhams, Allen's campaign manager, said: "The fundamentals of this race have not changed, which are the Democrats have a candidate who is incapable of taking a position on any issue."

Republicans also said Democrats run the risk of making too much of Allen's remarks.

Allen's comments "helped energize the other side," said Eric Lundberg, chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Party. "To the extent they keep harping on it, it will energize our own base."

Still, Democrats say Webb's campaign has been renewed because of Allen's remarks, particularly in Northern Virginia, where about 30 percent of the state's voters live. In last year's gubernatorial race, Timothy M. Kaine (D) trounced former attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore (R) by more than 20 points in some parts of Northern Virginia.

Traffic to Webb's Internet site doubled on several consecutive days this week, campaign officials said, and several Democratic leaders, including Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), began asking their supporters to donate to Webb.

"We've always said that when Virginians got to see the real George Allen, they were not going to like what they see," said Phil Singer, communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Because of public dissatisfaction over the war and President Bush, Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia, says his analysis of current polls shows that Democrats could pick up five Senate seats -- Pennsylvania, Montana, Ohio, Rhode Island and Missouri -- if the election were held today. Democrats need to win six seats to retake control.

"This whole Virginia election could be the search for the sixth seat that could turn over control to the Democrats," Sabato said.

Last Friday, while speaking at a GOP rally in southwestern Virginia, Allen singled out Sidarth, a Webb volunteer, and called him "Macaca." He also said: "Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia."

The term "macaca" refers to a genus of monkey and is considered an ethnic slur in some cultures. Allen apologized, saying that he did not know what the word meant and that it was a play on "Mowhak," a nickname given to Sidarth by Allen's campaign staff because of his haircut. Allen's campaign has responded to the incident by accusing Webb of tolerating anti-Semitism.

During Webb's Democratic primary campaign against lobbyist Harris Miller, Webb's campaign distributed a flier in southwestern Virginia that included a caricature of Miller with wads of money coming out of his pocket. Miller, who is Jewish, decried the flier as anti-Semitic. Webb has said the flier was not intended to be offensive.