2 Camps Prepare for Numbers Battle

Democrat James Webb and Republican George Allen prepared last night for a potentially contentious recount that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.

With preliminary results indicating Webb leads Allen by about three-tenths of 1 percent, neither candidate conceded last night, and they vowed to fight for every vote.

"So the point of the matter is, I've been through it, and I know the counting will continue through the night. And it will continue tomorrow," Allen told his supporters in Richmond about 12:30 this morning.

An hour earlier, Webb, a decorated Marine veteran, appeared in Tysons Corner and said: "I've been in a lot of fights in my life. This is nothing new."

The fact that the balance of power in the Senate might be determined by the outcome of the Virginia race raised the possibility that the national parties and hundreds of lawyers could descend on Virginia much the same way they did in Florida after the 2000 presidential election.

It would mark the third statewide recount in Virginia history. Last year, Robert F. McDonnell (R) edged state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) by 323 votes after a recount to become attorney general. In the 1989 gubernatorial election, a recount confirmed Democrat L. Douglas Wilder's victory over J. Marshall Coleman, the Republican candidate.

Under Virginia law, the loser may petition the circuit court for a recount, but not until the State Board of Elections certifies the results Nov. 28. If the court decides a recount is warranted and the winner's lead is less than one-half of 1 percent, the state will pay for the recount, election officials said.

The case will land in Richmond Circuit Court, according to the State Board of Elections.

"It is totally within the court's discretion," said Deeds, who said he believes a recount won't be necessary when local governments are finished counting all the absentee ballots and outstanding precincts.

Deeds said the process is more "like a re-tabulation" than the Florida recount that resulted in President Bush's victory in 2000.

"A recount is a simple redetermination of all of the votes cast on Election Day. Recount officials are only counting the ballots that were previously cast," according to the Board of Elections Web site. "A voter's eligibility to vote or any alleged irregularities cannot be called into question during a recount."

Either way, the process will likely put Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), McDonnell and Jean Jensen, secretary of the State Board of Elections, into the national spotlight.

Kaine controls the Board of Elections. McDonnell's office is technically the state's lawyer. But because McDonnell is a Republican, Kaine has the authority to seek outside counsel for a recount.

McDonnell was preparing last night. When Allen addressed his supporters after midnight, McDonnell did not appear on stage with him, his aides said, even though Allen was looking for him.