Virginia Sen. Allen Concedes Defeat

Sen. George Allen, R-Va., shakes the hand of Sen. John Warner, R-Va., left, as his wife, Susan, right, looks on as he delivers his concession speech in Alexandria, Va., Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006. Allen conceded defeat Thursday to Democrat Jim Webb, sealing the Democrats' control of Congress and the political downfall of a man once considered a White House contender. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber - AP)

Earlier in the day, Sen. Conrad Burns conceded the Montana Senate race to Democrat Jon Tester, catching Tester on the phone as he headed for a barber shop to get his famous flattop hair trimmed.

The call was "very cordial, very professional. It was positive," Tester, a farmer and state legislator, told The Associated Press.

Burns, a three-term GOP senator whose campaign was also troubled by gaffes and voter discontent, made no public appearances. But he released a statement saying he was ready to "help as Montana transitions to a new United States senator."

"We fought the good fight and we came up just a bit short. We've had a good 18 years and I am proud of my record," he said.

In Virginia, Allen had been expected to cruise to a second term this year and make a run for the White House in 2008. The son of a Hall of Fame football coach, Allen served as governor in the 1990s and was popular for abolishing parole and instituting other conservative reforms.

But in Webb he faced an unconventional challenger. Supporters drafted Webb, a political neophyte, to run because of his early opposition to the Iraq war.

Allen, 54, was comfortably ahead in polls until August, when he mockingly referred to a Webb campaign volunteer of Indian descent as "Macaca," regarded by some as a racial slur. The incident, caught on videotape, became international news. Some former football teammates from the University of Virginia also charged that Allen had commonly used a slur for blacks _ something he denied.

Webb, a 60-year-old Naval Academy graduate and decorated Vietnam veteran, tried to link Allen to President Bush and the war during the campaign. He also used a video in ads that showed Reagan praising him.

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Associated Press writers Bob Lewis in Richmond and Matt Gouras in Helena, Mont., contributed to this report.