Webb Treks to Region That Allen Knows Well

By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 23, 2006

U.S. Senate candidate James Webb is campaigning this weekend through parts of rural Virginia, a politically vital region where he could face a difficult challenge connecting with voters because of his positions on social issues.

About a third of Virginia voters live in rural areas, a sizable voting bloc important to the Democrat, who is locked in a close contest with Sen. George Allen (R). Southern voters have largely abandoned Democrats in elections for federal offices.

This weekend, Webb will crisscross the tobacco fields south of Richmond, meet with supporters near the North Carolina border and attend a fish fry in coal-mining country in southwestern Virginia.

At each stop, Webb will be asking voters to look past social issues that have drawn many rural voters to Republicans and instead make their decision based on economic issues and his background as a former Marine.

"These are natural voters for us once they know where we stand on the issues," Webb said. His ancestors hail from southwestern Virginia, Webb kicked off his campaign in Gate City and he wrote about the region in his book "Born Fighting."

Even so, Webb, who opposes a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and supports abortion rights, acknowledges, "There are a couple of issues people will have a problem with" in rural regions.

Political analysts say Webb, who was secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration, doesn't have to win many of the areas he will visit this weekend. But he can't be trounced there, either. Webb strategists say they hope for a large turnout in Northern Virginia, where Democrats have done well recently. The strategy won't work unless they keep Allen's margins in check in the rest of the state.

Webb "can't rely on the core Democratic base to be elected," said Mark J. Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University.

Republicans say Webb faces an uphill quest, despite his military background, because he has neither the advertising budget nor the conservative credentials needed to convince rural voters he's one of them.

"He's been all over the map on social issues, and I think it looks pretty contrived," said U.S. Rep. Robert W. Goodlatte, a Republican who represents the Shenandoah Valley. "This is a pretty solidly conservative area, and George Allen is very well known here."

Allen, a former governor, has built his political career around appealing to rural voters. He tours the state every year in an RV, has acquired a Southern drawl and rides on horseback in many community parades. On the campaign trail, Allen talks about preserving traditional values, keeping taxes low and investing in a strong national defense.

Allen "has consistently fought on their behalf on the issues they care about," said Dick Wadhams, Allen's campaign manager, adding that Webb is "out of touch."

Yesterday, Allen appeared before hundreds of voters at a summit sponsored by the Family Research Council, which promotes traditional values. Allen spoke about stopping "activist judges," protecting "freedom from radical, maniacal terrorist organizations" and securing the U.S. border with Mexico.

"Count on me, as I have done in the past, to be a teammate, an ally, part of your extended family, as we work for our foundational values," Allen said.

Allen used similar arguments in 2000, when he unseated incumbent Charles S. Robb (D) by winning nearly two-thirds of the vote in rural Virginia.

During the spring, Democratic leaders in Washington endorsed Webb because they believed the former Republican would connect with rural voters, who tend to be white, culturally conservative, pro-military and less well educated than voters in Northern Virginia.

During two debates this week, Webb espoused a message of economic populism, arguing that the rich are getting richer while the middle class has struggled under President Bush's policies. On the campaign trail, Webb notes that he began working at age 12. He also rails against excessive corporate profits and calls for a hard line against what he calls unfair trade policies.

Yesterday, Allen said he's the only candidate who has a record of bringing jobs and better educational opportunities to poorer parts of the state.

"His record simply doesn't match up," Allen said of Webb.

Webb has also tried to stake a middle position on affirmative action. He says he wants to restrict affirmative action programs to African Americans, instead of all ethnic minorities, saying the current system amounts to "state-sponsored racism" toward whites. If the system isn't changed, he wants the programs opened up to poor whites.

Webb is also trying to stave off a charge that he is, as Bush and Allen say, "a cut and run" Democrat. Although he was drawn into the race over his opposition to the war, he has not called for an immediate troop pullout. But he wants U.S. forces to be repositioned gradually to other friendly Arab nations to get them out of harm's way.

Webb has sought to one-up Allen over the issue of guns as well. During a debate Monday, Allen defended a bill he sponsored to make it easier for gun owners to carry concealed weapons across state lines. Webb endorsed the proposal and then volunteered that he has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

"I've had guns since I was 8 years old. I was raised in a family where we hunted, so I think anyone who so chooses has the right to defend themselves with a firearm," Webb said.

U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat who represents southwestern Virginia, said Webb is doing exactly what a Democrat needs to do to win over voters in his part of the state.

"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.