Democrat Webb Has Slight Lead in Va. Senate Race
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
RICHMOND, Va. — Democrat Jim Webb has a slight lead over Senator Allen, a Republican, with a week to go in a key race that could determine control of the Senate, according to a poll released yesterday. The poll by Opinion Research Corp. was the first to show Mr. Webb with an advantage in what has become a bruising and expensive contest in once reliably Republican Virginia.
Among likely voters surveyed, 50% favored Mr. Webb, a former Republican who served as Navy secretary in the Reagan administration, while 46% favored Mr. Allen, and 4% were undecided.
Mr. Webb’s edge is equal to the margin of error of plus or minus 4%,meaning he can be considered slightly ahead. The result is based on telephone interviews conducted for CNN from October 26–29 among 597 registered Virginia voters who said they were likely to vote.
Among a larger sample of 904 registered Virginia voters, the result was about even, with 48% backing Mr. Webb, 46% for Mr. Allen and 5% undecided. Independent Gail Parker also is on the ballot. The margin of error for the larger sample was plus or minus 3%.
While Mr. Webb supporters crowed over the results, longtime Mr. Allen adviser Christopher LaCivita disputed the findings. “It sure doesn’t reflect anything we’re seeing,” Mr. LaCivita said. A statewide poll conducted October 23 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. also reflected a close race, though Mr. Allen led then with 47% to 43%. Mr. Allen’s advantage equaled the poll’s error margin of plus or minus 4%.
Mr. Allen, running for a second term, had a commanding lead in the polls just three months ago. He drew fire in August, however, for calling a Webb staffer “macaca,” considered a racial slur in some cultures. The latest survey was conducting amid news coverage over Mr. Allen’s claim that selected sexually explicit passages in some of Mr. Webb’s war novels are demeaning to women.
As the race has tighten, both parties have poured money into advertising. Last week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent $1.4 million on ads starting last week that portray Mr. Webb as insensitive to women, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent $1.5 million on ads tying Mr. Allen to what, until recently, was unequivocal support for President Bush’s handling of the Iraq war.
