Webb Has a Slim Edge Over Allen, But Recount Likely

A majority of voters said they believe that Allen respects racial minorities despite accusations that he used racial slurs. But some voters also said they were turned off by Allen's macaca comment.

"That pretty much did it for me," said Sheryl Mason, 42, of Prince William, who voted for Webb. "You kind of think that if he makes that kind of slip-up . . . what's he been saying in private?"

But Allen was apparently successful in convincing voters that their taxes would go up if Webb was elected to the Senate. Almost two-thirds of voters questioned in the exit polls who said taxes were an extremely important issue said they voted for Allen.

"I really don't want my taxes raised," said Anne Harrell, 39, who voted for Allen in her Annandale precinct. "It's the money that's driving me."

When Allen formally announced his reelection bid in April, the biggest challenge appeared to be how to balance his Senate campaign with his presidential ambitions. Allen, who had just returned from speeches in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, declined to say whether he would serve a full six-year term if he were reelected.

"When we get to the future, I'll determine the future," he told reporters that day.

At the time, Webb was locked in a bitter primary with Fairfax lobbyist Harris Miller, a favorite among the Democratic Party establishment. But Webb's campaign was already focused on Allen.

"We'd like to think this seat in the Senate means more than a place holder for George Allen," Webb spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd said then.

Webb beat Miller in June, but heading into the summer, he trailed Allen by 16 percentage points in one poll. Worse for Webb, his campaign was virtually broke, and he had little patience for the hard work of fundraising. With no experience in politics, Webb appeared stiff on the stump. Democrats said privately that they doubted their candidate could win.

"If you had asked anybody about this election on Aug. 10, they would have told you it was effectively over," said Robert D. Holsworth, director of the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

But everything changed Aug. 11, when Allen mocked the Indian American Webb volunteer, who was shooting video of Allen at a campaign stop in Breaks, Va., a rural town near the Kentucky border.

The videotape sped across the country on the video-sharing site YouTube, creating negative headlines for more than a week. Indian American groups called Allen a bully, and he became fodder for late-night comedians.