Polls and Power in Sight, Parties Try to Rally Voters

Republicans, who have been campaigning heavily on a platform to crack down on illegal immigration, predict that Kaine and the Democrats will come up short in their attempt to take the Senate, even though the GOP is burdened by Bush's low approval ratings.

Several GOP Senate candidates being targeted by Democrats are running in traditionally Republican areas, which could help the party's chances to retain control.

In the hotly contested race for the seat of retiring Senate President John H. Chichester (R-Northumberland), Democrat Albert Pollard is running against Republican Richard H. Stuart in a district where 61 percent of voters supported Bush in 2004. In the campaign between Democrat Karen Schultz and Republican Jill Holtzman Vogel for the seat of retiring Sen. H. Russell Potts (R-Winchester), 62 percent of voters supported Bush in 2004.

But Kaine is upbeat about his chances, in part because he says Republicans have nominated several Senate candidates who are too conservative for Virginia voters.

While stumping for Miller, Kaine noted that the Republican candidate in the race, Patricia B. "Tricia" Stall, once signed a petition advocating to end government involvement in education.

"I'm here to tell you there is not a more important race in Virginia than this one," Kaine said. "People can have different ideas, but every idea doesn't need to be represented in the Virginia Senate."

In an interview, Stolle said Kaine is "trying to scare voters into thinking there is some boogeyman out there."

During the campaign's final hours, Republicans and Democrats are adopting different strategies as they seek to get their voters to the polls.

Republicans scrapped plans for a statewide bus tour Friday after party leaders decided they couldn't justify the expense of the bus. Instead, leaders are attending a series of low-key events populated by the party faithful.

"If voters focus on the issues, Republicans will win," McDonnell said at the hoedown.

Meanwhile, Virginia Democrats have hired Jesse Rosen, a veteran Democratic operative, to coordinate Kaine's and Warner's final push before the election. On Sunday, Warner stumped for Davis's Democratic opponent, J. Chapman "Chap" Petersen, and for Schultz at separate events in Northern Virginia.

In Norfolk, Kaine spent an hour going door-to-door in the Ocean View neighborhood stumping for Democrat Ralph Northam, who is challenging Republican Sen. Nick Rerras.

"I'll have more brushes next time," Ocean View resident Keith Cannady said after Kaine and Northam interrupted his house-painting project.