Webb Treks to Region That Allen Knows Well

"As a very distinguished war hero and secretary of the Navy, he has good credentials from a cultural perspective," Boucher said. "But I think those can be burnished by a clear stance [that] he does not favor gun control."

Democrats point to former governor Mark R. Warner (D), who in 2001 was elected in part after he won 100,000 more votes in southwestern Virginia than Robb did the year before. Besides stressing economic issues and his opposition to gun control, Warner sponsored a NASCAR team and made a country music song his campaign theme to bolster his appeal.

Warner says he sees no reason why Webb can't replicate his success in rural Virginia.

"This is a guy who not only talks the talk but walks the walk," said Warner, noting that Webb has a 24-year-old son serving in the military in Iraq.

Republicans say Democrats face a tougher task in federal elections. They point to Robb and Sen. John F. Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004. Both were veterans but still did poorly in rural Virginia.

Webb also faces the risky task of appealing to rural voters while not alienating liberals in Northern Virginia and African Americans, whom Democrats need to turn out to vote in large numbers.

Larry J. Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia, said Webb faces long odds in balancing the views of the state's competing regions.

"On paper, he's got a formula to do it, but it's a long way from paper to the ballot box," Sabato said.