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Wednesday, August 30, 2006

VA-Sen: Here Comes the Cavalry

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

With three polls showing the U.S. Senate race close after George Allen's alleged racial remark, national Democrats yesterday pledged dollars to Jim Webb.

The latest survey, by Zogby International, gives Webb, once a long shot, a statistically insignificant lead over the Republican incumbent, who has been sidetracked for two weeks for addressing a Webb volunteer staff member of Indian descent as "macaca."

Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said his group -- the political arm of the Senate Democratic Conference -- will donate an unspecified amount to Webb.

Schumer earlier this summer was noncommittal about directing cash and services to Webb.

"We think this is a neck-and-neck race," Schumer told report- ers when asked about the impact of the Allen controversy. "We plan to provide Jim Webb with the kinds of resources he needs to win."

Schumer's promise comes amid a dramatic shift in the Virginia contest, one triggered by Allen's oral blunder, which apparently has cost his re-election effort momentum and threatens to derail his presidential ambitions in 2008.

Webb has badly trailed Allen in fund raising. After the June primary, he had $424,245 in cash to $6.6 million for Allen. Webb said yesterday in Norfolk that he has collected $2 million since winning the nomination.

"We think we have a very good chance of winning in Virginia," said Schumer.

In related news, Webb's netroots coordinator, Lowell Feld, has a Dailykos diary up highlighting some big names headlining upcoming fundraisers for Webb: 1) fellow authors Stephen King and John Grisham in Charlottsville on Sept. 24 and 2) Gov. Mark Warner on Sept. 21 in Old Town Alexandria. However, he doesn't give any specifics on the upcoming President Clinton fundraiser for Webb.

Let's hope this late push is enough. The last thing I want to see is the DSCC kicking itself over waiting this one out too long.

Posted at 01:04 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Virginia | Technorati

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Comments

'Bout time. For those of us who believed in Webb's potential from the beginning and knew Allen was an oafish jerk prior to "macaca" the lack of DCCC movement on this has been frustrating. Pounce now, don't wait.

Posted by: Predictor at August 30, 2006 05:15 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment