Allen leads for 2nd term, poll finds

RICHMOND — Virginia Sen. George Allen is more popular heading into his re-election campaign than his potential Democratic challengers, a recent statewide poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports shows.

So far, two Democrats — James Webb and Harris Miller — have officially announced their intentions to seek their party’s nomination. The winner of the June primary will challenge Mr. Allen, who is running for a second six-year term, in November.

The poll, conducted Wednesday, showed that most voters in Virginia would vote for Mr. Allen, regardless of who his Democratic opponent is.

If Mr. Webb is the nominee and the election were held today, 49 percent of voters would pick Mr. Allen, while 37 percent would choose Mr. Webb, the poll shows. Eleven percent were undecided.

If Mr. Miller is the nominee and the election were held today, 48 percent of voters would select Mr. Allen, while 35 percent would pick Mr. Miller, the poll found. Twelve percent were undecided.

In both cases, 4 percent said they would choose some other candidate.

The poll surveyed 500 likely Virginia voters and has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

The two Democrats are from Northern Virginia. Mr. Allen was governor of Virginia in the mid-1990s.

Mr. Webb, a former secretary of the Navy under President Reagan, jumped into the race last week.

Mr. Miller is best known for serving as president of the Information Technology Association of America. He has been a congressional aide and also worked in the Carter administration.

Mr. Miller has gained in the polls since he began campaigning.

A Rasmussen poll conducted last month showed that Mr. Miller would receive 27 percent of the vote, compared with Mr. Allen’s 57 percent.

Brian Cook, a spokesman for Mr. Miller, said the emergence of a primary opponent does not change the campaign’s game plan.

“We’re going to keep traveling around Virginia showing voters why Harris Miller is the best person to fix Washington,” he said.

A former Republican, Mr. Webb filed his paperwork last week and told the Associated Press that he will campaign on national security issues and pointed out that he “actually fought in a war.”

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