Allen, Webb Tour Va.; Wilder Backs Webb

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Webb campaigned yesterday in Northern Virginia with the state's current governor at his side, and hours later he picked up a key endorsement from a former governor in Richmond.

Webb, joined by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), appealed to retirees and students at stops in Fairfax and Prince William counties before heading to Richmond to appear with former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, now the mayor of Richmond and a popular figure among African American voters.

Webb's opponent, incumbent Sen. George Allen (R), stumped through southwestern Virginia yesterday with Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell (R), the majority whip. The Allen campaign also released a radio commercial featuring Allen's most prominent black supporter, state Sen. Benjamin J. Lambert III (D-Richmond).

Allen and Webb had courted Wilder for his support. Wilder, a Democrat, is independent-minded and likes to build suspense for his endorsements by waiting until late in a campaign to announce his choices. His support isn't always guaranteed; in 1997, he declined to endorse Democrat Donald S. Beyer Jr. for governor.

Two years ago, he stood with Allen to condemn then-Gov. Mark R. Warner's proposed tax increases and urged the Democratic governor to put the idea to a vote of the people. Later that year, Wilder was the keynote speaker at a retreat for the state GOP.

But yesterday, he said voters should choose Webb to send the message that they are opposed to the war in Iraq and Republican economic policies. He said he would do all he could, including campaign events and TV ads, to support Webb.

"I think the time is now to take the action necessary to help turn around the ill-fated direction the country has taken," said Wilder, who was governor from 1990 to 1994. "For that reason, I will support an individual who served in combat for his nation . . . and will fight to represent the needs of the common man . . . to put this country back on course."

Allen and Webb have been vying for votes from African Americans in a campaign marred by accusations of racism. Allen has been dogged by questions about his racial sensitivity, and Webb has been put on the defensive over a magazine article he wrote in 1979 opposing women in combat, which some have said was demeaning to women.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is spending millions to bolster Webb, has been running radio ads on black stations highlighting Allen's fondness as a young man for Confederate heritage and allegations that he used racial slurs in college. The Allen campaign and the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee responded yesterday with Lambert's ad, which will air on several African American radio stations.

Lambert urges listeners to discount charges about Allen's past and focus on his support for historically black colleges, black farmers and the Voting Rights Act.

"I have fought racism all my life, and I've learned to judge people by what they do now, not what they have done 30 years ago," Lambert said.

McConnell, in an interview, said that Virginians would see a large tax increase if Webb is elected, referring to past statements by Webb that he would let some of President Bush's tax cuts expire. "You cannot let the tax cuts expire without having a rather large increase," McConnell said.