After gaining support in the polls over the past two weeks, Senate Democratic candidate Jim Webb recently achieved a lead over Republican incumbent George Allen for the first time. A Wall Street Journal/Zogby poll released this weekend shows Webb leading with 47.9 percent while Allen trails with 46.6 percent.
University politics Prof. Larry Sabato said Allen's recent "macaca gaffe" involving fourth-year College student S. R. Sidarth is the key to Webb's recent gains.
"What matters here is that George Allen shot himself in both cowboy boots," Sabato said. "Most Virginians still don't know who Jim Webb is, but they now know who George Allen is much better than before."
Webb campaign spokesperson Kristian Todd said the campaign attributes the tightening in the polls to an increased public interest in the campaign and "building on a good thing."
"We always knew that the more people learned about the real George Allen, the more they wouldn't like what they saw," Todd said. "And the more they learned about Jim Webb, the more they'd realize that he's a good choice for Virginia."
Whether Webb will be able to continue his momentum remains unclear and depends on his campaign's ability to capitalize on the lead by raising more money, Sabato said.
College Republicans chair Amber VerValin agreed that the race is not over yet.
"It's a long time before election day, polls go up and down," VerValin said. "Between now and election day we'll be working hard for Allen here and all over the state. What really matters is what happens on Nov. 7."
Webb's current lead of 1.3 points falls within the 3.4 percent margin of error and does not show conclusively that Webb is in control of the race.
Representatives of the Allen campaign were unavailable for comment.
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