Allen faces a unifier with Webb in race

Sen. George Allen’s seat once seemed so safe that Democrats were searching for candidates to challenge him, but national heavy-hitters are now saying James H. Webb Jr.’s win in the Democratic primary Tuesday should have the Republicans running scared.

Mr. Webb, a former Republican who voted for Mr. Allen in 2000, has the full support of the local and national Democratic machines as he tries to unseat the incumbent in the November election, party leaders said yesterday.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) added the Virginia seat to its list of potential Republican grabs.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat who heads the DSCC, said primary voters bucked conventional wisdom and chose the more electable candidate by picking Mr. Webb over longtime local party activist Harris N. Miller.

“The victory by Jim Webb is a sure sign that Virginia is really ready to dump George Allen,” Mr. Schumer told reporters, noting that Mr. Webb attracts “Bush voters and Reagan Democrats.”

Mr. Miller, a technology lobbyist, won the backing of many state legislators, while Mr. Webb attracted Washington Democrats, including 2004 Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat. Mr. Miller and the local activists said they will join Mr. Webb in trying to beat Mr. Allen.

“I think he can win this thing,” said Virginia Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, Fairfax County Democrat, who previously endorsed Mr. Miller.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian J. Moran, who remained neutral in the race, predicted that Democrats would rally around Mr. Webb. “We will be very united,” the Alexandria Democrat said.

Former Gov. Mark Warner, the state’s most popular politician, will lend his support to Mr. Webb, said Warner spokeswoman Ellen Qualls.

Mr. Warner, who also is exploring a presidential bid, didn’t endorse either candidate but raised money for both before the primary.

“The governor is going to do his part. He believes the senator is vulnerable,” Miss Qualls said.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat who also didn’t endorse any candidate in the primary, said: “I look forward to working with [Mr. Webb] during the upcoming campaign.”

Mr. Allen, 54, has served as state delegate, a U.S. representative and Virginia governor, an office limited to one term by the state constitution. He ousted Democratic incumbent Sen. Charles S. Robb from his seat in Congress in 2000.

Mr. Webb, 60, a former Marine and decorated Vietnam veteran, was President Reagan’s Secretary of the Navy. He left the Republican Party because he opposes the war in Iraq, and he felt the party is too extreme on social issues. His 25-year-old son, Jim, is heading to Iraq later this year.

Mr. Webb, also a best-selling author, never has run for elected office.

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