Vitriol Fills the Air and Airwaves as Allen and Webb Battle On

Amid the Fray, Both Sides Eye Possibility of Recount

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), left, and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine at Virginia Union University with Jim Webb, right, Allen's opponent in the Senate race. (By Chris Greenberg -- Bloomberg News)

RICHMOND, Nov. 2 -- Democratic Senate hopeful James Webb today tapped the star appeal of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama to stir the passions of his party's base, rallying with 700 supporters before heading to Northern Virginia for a similar event with actor Michael J. Fox.

Obama told a cheering crowd at Virginia Union University that Webb is someone who "has fought for this country, who has led this country," and he urged supporters to drag "those uncles and cousins who don't vote to the polls" on Tuesday to help elect Webb.

Webb's opponent, incumbent Republican Sen. George Allen, had a more low-key day, accepting the endorsement of the Minutemen, a national organization that fights illegal immigration, at a news conference in Roanoke. He then went to the Philip Morris cigarette plant just south of Richmond to privately shake hands for an hour during a shift change.

Allen plans to fly across the state this weekend, stopping in Hampton Roads, Winchester, Southside Virginia, Roanoke and Norfolk. He plans to spend Sunday in Northern Virginia. Aides declined to give details of the events or say who will be campaigning with the senator.

"I knew I had a target on my back," Allen told reporters at Philip Morris. "The national liberal Democrats have no love for me. I knew they'd be gunning for me."

Fox, who has Parkinson's disease and has been campaigning for candidates who support stem cell research, spoke to a crowd of about 1,000 at a ballroom in Clarendon. "A vote for Jim Webb is a vote for hope and a better quality of life for Americans," the actor said.

The attention from Fox and Obama, who have been crossing the country to stump for candidates, marks the beginning of a statewide tour for Webb that will include stops with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, former governor Mark R. Warner and former U.S. senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska. The five-day trip will end with former president Bill Clinton at an election-eve rally in Alexandria.

"If we prevail here -- and we are going to prevail," Webb told the enthusiastic crowd at Virginia Union, "we are going to bring a different kind of attitude to the United States government."

Both candidates expect a close race and have begun to prepare for the possibility of a recount. Allen's campaign team held an hours-long meeting Wednesday to plot legal strategy in the event that a recount is necessary. Allen is consulting former Virginia solicitor general William H. Hurd, who led the recount team for Republicans last year when Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell (R) won by just 360 votes.

Webb aides said they also are preparing contingency plans for a recount, although they said they are confident they will not be needed. A drawn-out legal battle in Virginia could leave the state's residents in limbo and the balance of power in the Senate unclear.

"The last thing we need is another recount," said state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath), who lost to McDonnell. "Nov. 8 was like Groundhog Day for six . . . weeks. I've moved on. But it was very tough. We don't need that."

Allen started his day in Roanoke, where he focused on illegal immigration. He picked up the endorsement of Chris Simcox, founder and chairman of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which is battling illegal immigration along the U.S. border with Mexico and elsewhere. Minutemen have been in Herndon videotaping day laborers and would-be employers after the Town Council there approved setting up a controversial center to host day laborers seeking work.