High-Wattage Politicians Help Allen, Webb Wrap Up

Former president Bill Clinton campaigned with Democrat James Webb at a rally last night in Alexandria, while Sen. John W. Warner (R) appeared on statewide television with Sen. George Allen (R) as Virginia's U.S. Senate candidates made their final appeals before today's election.

With the race a tossup, Webb turned to one of the Democratic Party's most popular figures to help boost turnout. Several thousand people packed Market Square in Old Town Alexandria to see Clinton, who did not disappoint the largest Webb crowd of the campaign.

Referring to Allen's attacks on Webb's novels, Clinton drew roaring approval from the crowd when he said, "The only thing good about that outrageous attack on Jim Webb's books is that somebody on the other side had to read a book."

Allen asked Warner, the state's admired senior senator, to help him remind supporters of the importance of showing up at the polls. Allen and Warner appeared in a two-minute commercial televised statewide.

"I'm asking you to put behind the thunder of the campaign, move past the frustration we all feel, and in a calm, reflective way consider the importance of your vote and the challenges of our future," said Warner, who would lose the chairmanship of the Senate Armed Services Committee if Democrats capture the Senate. "If you have a measure of confidence in me, I ask that you send George Allen back to the Senate to continue as my working partner."

Late polls were inconclusive. If the election is close, the count of absentee votes could help determine the winner. Most local governments in Virginia will count their absentee votes tonight and include them as part of the totals. More than 130,000 people have voted absentee, three times the number who did in 2002.

Democrats complained yesterday about what they said was voter intimidation aimed at keeping their voters from the polls. But Virginia Electoral Board Secretary Jean Jensen said she had received just three such calls.

In one case, an Arlington County man said he received a message on his answering machine saying that he was registered to vote in New York and would be prosecuted if he showed up at the polls today in Virginia. In fact, the man is registered in Arlington.

Jensen said the allegations prompted her to consult with Justice Department officials who oversee voting rights issues in Virginia elections. But she took no other action.

Campaigning with Webb, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) said, "I don't know the scope of the effort or how significant it has been, but it does look like a coordinated effort."

That prompted a blistering response from Allen consultant Chris LaCivita, who said neither the Allen campaign nor any Republican group was doing anything to suppress turnout. "The governor is being nothing but a political partisan," LaCivita said.

The third candidate in the Senate race, Glenda "Gail" Parker of the Independent Green Party, showed up at a Webb rally yesterday in Roanoke. She has been receiving about 2 percent of the vote in recent polls, running as an advocate of high-speed rail service between Virginia cities. Parker said last week she was considering dropping out and endorsing Allen or Webb but later changed her mind.