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VA: Allen, Kaine go to ropes for U.S. Senate seat

By   /   June 12, 2012  /   2 Comments

By Kathryn Watson | Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau

George Allen

ALEXANDRIA — Now the real battle begins for the U.S. Senate seat in Virginia.

Former Gov. George Allen, a Republican, will challenge former Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, in the November general election.

And that race could be tight. A Real Clear Politics averaging of polls for March 26 through June 4 showed Kaine squeaking past Allen by just half of a percent.

But the Tuesday primaries were no contest for Allen and Kaine. Allen captured more than 65 percent of the vote with 98 precincts reporting in the GOP primary. Kaine ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

This race could even determine the U.S. Senate majority with some saying Virginia is a swing state.

Tim Kaine

“Where Virginia goes will determine where the Senate goes,” said Allen in an April appearance at Raven’s Nest Coffee House in Culpeper. “This is the 51st Senate seat.”

While this is Kaine’s first bid for a U.S. Senate seat, Allen is seeking to regain the seat after losing it in 2006.

Allen and Kaine have admitted, however, that the race will be an uphill battle.

“It is going to be very, very close,” Kaine told a gathering of supporters in April in Charlottesville. “I don’t mind it, because I’m a close specialist. Close is what I know, and close is what I do. I’m like the Buy-Your-Maalox candidate.”

Allen has spoken along similar lines.

“It’s going to be a close election, no question about it,” he said in an April interview with the New York Times.

Kaine leads Allen in overall fundraising — $8.7 million to Allen’s $6.7 million as of May 23 — according to the Federal Election Commission’s campaign finance database.

Allen’s defeated GOP rivals were Bob Marshall with nearly 7 percent of the ballots cast, and lesser-known hopefuls Jamie Radtke with mor than 23 percent of the vote, and E.W. Jackson with less than 5 percent of the vote as of Tuesday night.

In other primary election results, U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor swept the GOP primary race for the 7th Congressional District with nearly 90 percent of the vote over opponent Floyd Bayne. Cantor will face Democrat Wayne Powell in November’s general election.

 

 

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Kathryn Watson

Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau, is in no way affiliated with "The Virginia Watchdog". Any similarities between Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau and "The Virginia Watchdog" is completely coincidental and unintentional. Any inquiries into "The Virginia Watchdog" may be done through their site.