Public support for Democrats nationally is on the rise, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Tuesday. Poll results indicated that most registered voters, at a margin of 54 percent to 41 percent, plan to vote blue in November's House elections. Findings also showed 54 percent of Americans trust Democrats more than Republicans to deal with national problems, with only 35 percent of respondents placing trust in Republican candidates.
This national declining support for Republicans is also evident in Virginia. Sen. George Allen's reelection campaign faces an increasingly competitive race, that tightened when he publicly referred to University student S.R. Sidarth as "macaca," a term considered by many to be an offensive racial slur. Allen has spent following the weeks since responding to racism allegations.
According to Politics Prof. Paul Freedman, state and national trends are both reciprocal and unique.
"What's happening in Virginia is both indicative of, and contributes to, the larger electoral environment," Freedman said. "But let's remember that what we're seeing playing out here, or in any other specific race, is based on factors specific to that race."
Allen faced Democratic opponent Jim Webb in a heated debate Monday in Richmond. Despite the debate's often impassioned discourse, Freedman said he doubts either candidate emerged the undisputed winner.
"I haven't seen any public opinion data on it, but I'd be surprised if the debate changed many minds," Freedman said.
Webb campaign spokesperson Kristian Todd said she thinks the debate went well for Webb.
"We managed to get our points across about real issues that affect real Virginians," Todd said.
In the final weeks of this year's campaign, Todd said Webb hopes to emphasize redirecting foreign policy to the war on terror, achieving economic fairness and "bringing back some integrity to the halls of Congress" by reining in the executive branch.
"We're going to focus on these themes," Todd said. "This is why Jim got in the race basically, and as we move forward we're just going to try to remain positive and affirmative."
Allen campaign spokesperson Bill Bozin said he also felt confident about the outcome of Monday's debate.
"We thought it went great," Bozin said. "It was clear which candidate grasped the issues important to Virginians."
Bozin added that Allen hopes to focus on three key missions during the final weeks of campaigning: to protect freedoms, to make America a land of opportunity for all and to preserve values.
Allen's campaign will also concentrate on the senator's record.
"As a governor and as a Senator, he has shown clear leadership for the people of Virginia for more than a decade," Bozin said.
According to Freedman, whichever party secures a majority in November will enjoy significant influence on defining national agenda.
"There's a lot at stake here," Freedman said.
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