View source for Controversies of the 2006 United States Senate election in Virginia

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{{main|2006 United States Senate election in Virginia}}
{{ElectionsVA}}
The '''controversies of the [[2006 United States Senate election in Virginia]]''' involved both Republican incumbent senator [[George Allen (U.S. politician)|George Allen]] and Democratic opponent [[Jim Webb]]. However, a majority of these controversies negatively impacted Allen and are believed to have contributed to his defeat in the November election.
==Allen's Barr Labs investment==
On August 8, 2006, it was reported that Allen, who opposes abortion rights, owned stock in [[Barr Pharmaceuticals|Barr Laboratories]], maker of the Plan B "[[morning-after pill]]", an emergency contraceptive intended to prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of intercourse. The Webb campaign criticized Allen for holding stock in a company that makes a product that many of his supporters oppose. Allen responded that he held the stock because Barr Labs had created jobs in Virginia and pointed to his consistently [[anti-abortion]] voting record. He indicated that he had no plans to sell the stock.<ref name="WP-AllenBarrLabs">{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080801323.html | title=Abortion Foe Allen Faulted for Stock in Morning-After Pill Maker | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=August 9, 2006 | last=Craig | first=Tim | page=B05 | access-date=November 10, 2021 | archive-date=March 9, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309164805/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080801323.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
==Allen's ''macaca'' controversy==
{{see|Macaca (term)}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Allentaunting.png|right|thumb|Allen points to Webb aide, Sidarth, referring to him as "Macaca."<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G7gq7GQ71c
|title = Allen's Listening Tour
|work = [[YouTube]]
| date = August 14, 2006
| access-date = August 15, 2006 }}</ref> ]] -->
On August 11, 2006, [[George Allen (U.S. politician)|George Allen]] twice called S.R. Sidarth, a 20-year-old Webb campaign volunteer, ''[[Macaca (slur)|macaca]]''. Sidarth is [[Indian American|of Indian ancestry]], but was born and raised in [[Fairfax County, Virginia]]. As a "tracker" for the opposing Webb campaign, Sidarth was filming an Allen campaign stop in [[Breaks Interstate Park|Breaks, Virginia]], near the [[Kentucky]] border.
During a speech, Allen paused, then began referring to Sidarth:
{{quote|This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great. We're going to places all over Virginia, and he's having it on film and it's great to have you here and you show it to your opponent because he's never been there and probably will never come. [...] Let's give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.<ref name="wp-060814">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081400589.html |title=Allen Quip Provokes Outrage, Apology |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 15, 2006 |author=Tim Craig and Michael D. Shear |access-date=October 30, 2006 |page=A01 |archive-date=October 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026224720/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081400589.html |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
According to Sidarth, he was the only non-white person present among the crowd of 100 or so Republican supporters, some of whom applauded Allen's remarks.<ref name="wp-060814" />
The Webb campaign accused Allen of using a racial insult; ''macaca'' has been identified as a [[Francophone]] epithet for [[North Africa]]n indigenes, and commentators have suggested that he may have heard the slur from his mother, Henrietta "Etty" Allen, who was of North African Jewish (in Allen's case, a [[Tunisia]]n) [[French people|French]] background.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.forward.com/articles/alleged-slur-casts-spotlight-on-senator%E2%80%99s-jewis/ |title=Alleged Slur Casts Spotlight On Senator's (Jewish?) Roots |first=E.J. |last=Kessler |date=August 25, 2006 |work=The Jewish Daily Forward |access-date=September 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114071758/http://www.forward.com/articles/alleged-slur-casts-spotlight-on-senator%E2%80%99s-jewis/ |archive-date=January 14, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> During a televised debate on September 18, reporter Peggy Fox asked Allen if he had learned the slur from his mother; Etty Allen denied that she had ever used the word before.<ref name="Revealedheritage">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001965_pf.html |title=Allen's Mother Revealed Jewish Heritage to Him Last Month |last=Shear |first=Michael D |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 21, 2006 |page=A01 |access-date=November 3, 2006 |archive-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061027024908/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001965_pf.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
According to ''The Washington Post'', Allen's campaign manager initially dismissed the incident with an expletive. Allen later said that he had heard his staff use the term ''macaca'' in reference to Sidarth, that he did not know what the word meant, and that he did not intend to insult Sidarth's ethnicity when he singled him out to the crowd. "I do apologize if he's offended by that," Allen said, adding that "I would never want to demean him as an individual."<ref name="wp-060814" />
Shortly after, Allen's campaign held that he used the word in reference to Sidarth's hairstyle. Although Sidarth was wearing a baseball cap on the day of the incident,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theyoungturks.com/story/2006/8/16/201332/564 |title=Interview with Sidarth |work=Summary of radio interview |access-date=September 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201204328/http://www.theyoungturks.com/story/2006/8/16/201332/564 |archive-date=December 1, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> he had been conversing casually with Allen's aides during campaign stops before the incident.<ref name=slurstung>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401639.html |title=Fairfax Native Says Allen's Words Stung |first=Fredrick |last=Kunkle |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 25, 2006 |access-date=October 30, 2006 |page=B01 |archive-date=October 27, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061027223419/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401639.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Allen's campaign staff claim to have referred to him privately as "Mohawk".<ref name="wp-060814" /> A now widely disseminated photo of Sidarth,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://images14.fotki.com/v21/photos/7/723557/2606350/ListeningTourDay3033-vi.jpg |title=S.R. Sidarth at an Allen Campaign Event |publisher=Virginia Conservative |date=August 18, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060817172427/http://images14.fotki.com/v21/photos/7/723557/2606350/ListeningTourDay3033-vi.jpg|archive-date=August 17, 2006}}</ref> hosted by the Webb campaign, shows Sidarth's hair to be longer in the middle and shaved on the sides, typical of a [[Mohawk hairstyle|mohawk]].
On August 15, 2006, John Reid, Allen's communications director, told ''The New York Times'' that members of Allen's campaign had "good-naturedly" nicknamed Sidarth "Mohawk" when speaking among themselves, but could not explain how the word might have morphed into ''macaca''.<ref name=verbalgaffe>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/15/washington/15cnd-allen.html |title=Verbal Gaffe From a Senator, Then an Apology |work=The New York Times |date=August 15, 2005 |first=David |last=Stout |access-date=April 30, 2010 |archive-date=May 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502232810/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/15/washington/15cnd-allen.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Reid told the ''Times'' that Sidarth only received a nickname from Allen campaign staff because he would not give his real name. Interviewed that day on CNN, however, Sidarth recalled shaking Allen's hand earlier in the week and giving his name. "He's very good with names, legendarily. He tries very hard to remember people's names when meeting them," Sidarth said. As for the ''macaca'' remark, "I am disappointed that someone like a Senator of the United States could use something [so] completely offensive."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBuxjQAVEMY |title=George Allen's 'Macaca' Remark |publisher=CNN News |date=August 15, 2006 |access-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202174208/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBuxjQAVEMY |url-status=live}}</ref>
On August 16, 2006, the ''[[National Journal]]'' reported that two Virginia Republicans who heard the word used by Allen's campaign staff said ''macaca'' was a [[neologism]] created from ''mohawk'' and ''[[Cacāre|caca]]'', Spanish and French slang for [[excrement]]. The ''National Journal'' quoted a Republican close to the campaign saying, "In other words, [Sidarth] was a shit-head, an annoyance."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/08/a_new_explanati.html |title=A New Explanation For "Macaca?" |publisher=National Journal (Hotline) |date=August 16, 2006 |access-date=November 3, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061114093321/http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/08/a_new_explanati.html |archive-date=November 14, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
By August 20, 2006, Allen began insisting that he had never before heard the word, and that he simply made it up, contrary to original explanations from Allen and his staff.<ref name=mtp0817>{{cite news |title=Transcript for September 17 Meet the Press |date=September 17, 2006 |work=Meet the Press |publisher=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14815993 |access-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923115836/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14815993 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=td0820>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190075864 |title=Allen can't get 'macaca' off his back |author=Tyler Whitley and Peter Hardin |date=August 20, 2006 |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch }}{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=cspan0818>{{cite news |url=http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0906/361635.html |title=Allen, Webb Spar on Iraq Policy in Televised Debate |last=Lewis |first=Bob |publisher=Associated Press |work=NewsChannel 8 |date=September 18, 2006 |access-date=November 5, 2006 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728100821/https://wjla.com/watch |url-status=live}}</ref>
After several public apologies, Allen called Sidarth twelve days after the incident, on August 23, to apologize directly for his remarks. Allen's campaign manager Dick Wadhams has continued to blame opponent Webb, the media, and Allen's "leftist" foes for a "feeding frenzy."<ref>{{cite news |title=Allen Calls Webb Aide, Apologizes For Remark |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/23/AR2006082301600.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Michael D. Shear and Tim Craig |date=August 24, 2006 |access-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-date=February 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211003638/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/23/AR2006082301600.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The incident reduced Allen's once-broad polling margin over Webb to single digits.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=a99a9b7d-89aa-4e5f-9a0e-35d657ae1db3 |title=Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #10072 |publisher=SurveyUSA |date=August 21, 2006 |access-date=September 4, 2009 |archive-date=October 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007094839/http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=a99a9b7d-89aa-4e5f-9a0e-35d657ae1db3 |url-status=live}}</ref>
On September 19, [[John Podhoretz]] used the name "Felix Macacawitz" as a headline for a post in the ''National Review'' blog "The Corner".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ODBiODMwNzYyMjA2ZmU3YTVjNTdjYjhmMmZjMWQ2YWY|title=Felix Macacawitz|publisher=National Review|work=The Corner|date=September 19, 2006|access-date=October 30, 2006|last=Podhoretz|first=John|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061130002051/http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ODBiODMwNzYyMjA2ZmU3YTVjNTdjYjhmMmZjMWQ2YWY|archive-date=November 30, 2006|df=mdy-all}}</ref> On October 4, Weed for Congress field organizer Meryl Ibis resigned after she used the name in an email to supporters of Weed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100401762.html |title=Democratic Organizer Quits After Calling Allen 'Macacawitz' |date=October 5, 2006 |last=Craig |first=Tim |access-date=October 30, 2006 |page=B02 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-date=October 31, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031061604/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100401762.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
Some political observers believe the incident shows an early-21st-century shift in American politics. [[Salon.com]] named Sidarth its 2006 Person of the Year. [[Michael Scherer]] wrote, "Sidarth was the kid next door. He, not Allen, was the real Virginian. He was proof that every hour his native commonwealth drifts further from the orbit of the GOP's solid South and toward a day when Allen's act will be a tacky antique. Allen was the past, Sidarth is the wired, diverse future—of Virginia, the political process and the country."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/12/16/sidarth/ |title=Salon Person of the Year: S.R. Sidarth |work=Salon |date=December 16, 2006 |access-date=September 4, 2009 |archive-date=August 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817221303/http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/12/16/sidarth/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
Relating to the Allen controversy, "Macaca" was named the most politically incorrect word of 2006 on December 15 by Global Language Monitor, a non-profit group that studies word usage.<ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061218/od_nm/words_dc] {{dead link|date=November 2021}}</ref>
Sidarth later embraced the term in a ''[[The Washington Post]]'' opinion piece titled "I Am Macaca".<ref>S.R. Sidarth. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/10/AR2006111001381.html "I Am Macaca".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314144617/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/10/AR2006111001381.html |date=March 14, 2021 }} ''[[The Washington Post]]''. November 12, 2006.</ref>  Weeks following Allen's comment, Sidarth wrote an entrance essay for a [[Larry Sabato]]-taught class at the University of Virginia of only three words: "I am macaca".<ref name="auto" />
==Webb's Reagan ad==
On September 7, 2006, Webb released his first television advertisement.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/07/AR2006090701596.html | title=Television Ad Shows Reagan Praising Webb In 1985 Speech | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=September 8, 2006 | first=Michael D. | last=Shear | access-date=April 30, 2010 | archive-date=April 2, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402105602/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/07/AR2006090701596.html | url-status=live }}</ref> It featured footage of a 1985 speech by [[Ronald Reagan]] praising Webb at the secretary's alma mater, the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1985.
The next day, an official working for the Reagan Presidential Foundation faxed a letter to Webb's campaign on behalf of former first lady [[Nancy Reagan]], urging them not to air the advertisement.<ref name=wp0914>{{cite news
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401583.html
|title=Let Reagan Be Reagan
|newspaper=The Washington Post
|date=September 15, 2006
|page=A18
|access-date=October 30, 2006
|archive-date=November 7, 2006
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107134813/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401583.html
|url-status=live
}}</ref> In response, Webb told reporters that if Ronald Reagan had made any speeches about Allen his opponent's campaign would probably use them, too. "I would encourage them to try to go find some."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/81976 | title=Nancy Reagan says it's not OK for Webb to use President in ad | work=Roanoke Times | date=September 9, 2006 | access-date=September 4, 2009 | archive-date=September 27, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927024348/http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/81976 | url-status=live }}</ref>
The Webb advertisement also aired in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]], and Northern Virginia.
The Reagan Library has asked other political campaigns to pull advertising involving the former president's image. In 2004, it criticized the conservative [[Club for Growth]] for an advertisement comparing [[George W. Bush]] to Reagan.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/08/AR2006090801720.html | title=Nancy Reagan Asks Webb to Pull Ad With Her Husband | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=September 9, 2006 | access-date=October 30, 2006 | author=Michael D. Shear and Tim Craig | page=B01 | archive-date=October 7, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007055848/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/08/AR2006090801720.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
On September 15, 2006, a ''Washington Post'' editorial supported Webb's advertisement and chided the Allen campaign for crying foul, saying that neither protest by Allen's campaign or Reagan's Library (later corrected to the Reagan Presidential Foundation) has any merit:
{{quote|The president is a public official, paid by the taxpayers. His speeches are in the public domain; they belong to all Americans, and to history. His words may fairly be the subject of bitter debate and divergent interpretation for decades or centuries to come, but they should not be censored posthumously. In this instance, Mr. Webb has neither distorted Mr. Reagan's words nor taken them out of context; nor did Mr. Reagan ever repudiate them.<ref name=wp0914 />}}
==Allen at Fairfax County Republican Committee's ethnic rally==
On September 9, 2006, Allen attended, along with other Republican elected officials and candidates for public office, an "ethnic community rally" at Thomas Edison High School in [[Fairfax County, Virginia]]. The Fairfax County Republican Committee, together with several ethnically based Republican groups, had sponsored this event for the past several years. Participating organizations included local Republican groups drawn from the Asian American, African American, and Hispanic American communities, among others. A small group of protesters demonstrated outside the high school, including one activist dressed in a gorilla costume as a reference to Allen's ''macaca'' remark. One protester said she was there "to let him [George Allen] know that racism is not acceptable", while another protester suggested that Allen was "holding a fake diversity rally".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&%09s=1045855935264&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190537881&path=!news!politics | title=Allen holds 'ethnic rally' | first=Carlos | last=Santos | access-date=September 22, 2005 | work=Richmond Times-Dispatch | date=September 10, 2006 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Both Allen and Webb's supporters video-recorded the event. Webb supporters claim the videos show more white faces than non-white.<ref>{{cite web | access-date=September 25, 2006 | title=Poor Turnout for George Allen's "Ethnic Community Rally" | url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/9/18934/76052 | archive-date=January 29, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129051309/http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/9/18934/76052 | url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Virginian-Pilot'' described the crowd as chiefly Asian-American. Webb, according to exit polls, went on to win all minority groups overwhelmingly, including Asian-Americans.<ref>{{cite news
| access-date=September 22, 2006
| date=September 10, 2006
| first=Dale
| last=Eisman
| work=Virginian-Pilot
| title=Allen tries to get past high-profile gaffe
| url=http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=110757&ran=232189
| archive-url=https://archive.today/20070811044721/http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=110757&ran=232189
| url-status=dead
| archive-date=August 11, 2007
}}</ref>
==Candidates' stances on women in combat==
[[Image:Jim Webb at rally.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Jim Webb at a rally, c. September 20, 2006]]
On September 13, 2006, five female graduates of the [[United States Naval Academy]] had a press conference promoted by the Allen campaign to assail a ''[[Washingtonian (magazine)|Washingtonian]]'' article Webb wrote in 1979. They accuse Webb of fostering an air of hostility and harassment towards females within the academy. In the article, entitled "Women Can't Fight", Webb described his personal experiences in the [[Vietnam War]] as a [[U.S. Marine]] infantry officer, and explained why he believed combat was an inappropriate environment for women. Webb also wrote that he had never met a woman "whom [he] would trust to provide those men with combat leadership". The article also characterized the Naval Academy dormitory situation as "a horny woman's dream", due to the ratio of men to women being 13⅓ to 1 at the time.
The five women, who attended the Naval Academy from the late 1970s to early 1980s, asserted that the article led to male midshipmen constantly harassing and humiliating them. Some even went so far as to wear "Jim Webb Fan Club" T-shirts.
In response to the allegations, Webb's campaign released a statement that he wrote the article during a time of great emotional debate over a wide array of social issues in this country, and the tone of this article was no exception. He added that he is "completely comfortable" with the present roles of women within the Naval Academy and the modern military. Webb expressed that at the time he wrote the article he did not anticipate its effects, "and to the extent that my writing subjected women at the Academy or the active Armed Forces to undue hardship, I remain profoundly sorry."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=110936&ran=145117 |title=Female Naval Academy grads say Webb column caused harassment |work=The Virginian-Pilot |first=Bob |last=Lewis |date=September 13, 2006 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070515172315/http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=110936&ran=145117 |archive-date=May 15, 2007 |access-date=September 4, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Allen himself has come under fire for similar attitudes he supported regarding the [[Virginia Military Institute]]. Allen remarked in 2000 that women "should not be in foxholes", and that "[t]he purpose of the armed services is not to be a social experiment".<ref>{{cite news
| url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200609150006
| title=AP, ''Situation Room'' note Allen attacks on 1979 Webb article against women in combat, but not Allen's current position on the issue
| publisher=Media Matters for America
| date=September 15, 2006
| first=Brian J.
| last=Levy
| access-date=September 4, 2009
| archive-date=July 24, 2008
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724135139/http://mediamatters.org/items/200609150006
| url-status=live
}}</ref> A 2000 candidate-guide published by the ''Virginian-Pilot'' reiterated this stance of Allen's.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://home.hamptonroads.com/election/2000electomatic/guideDetail.cfm?candidateID=8 | title=Candidates Guide, Election 2000 | work=The Virginian-Pilot | access-date=September 4, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000124/http://home.hamptonroads.com/election/2000electomatic/guideDetail.cfm?candidateID=8 | archive-date=September 27, 2007 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Allen's remarks about his partial Jewish heritage==
In the wake of the [[Virginia United States Senate election, 2006#Macaca controversy|Macaca controversy]], the [[Jew]]ish periodical ''[[The Forward]]'' reported that in all likelihood, Allen's mother [[Etty Allen]], ''née'' Henrietta Lumbroso, was Jewish "from the august [[Sephardic]] Jewish [[Lombroso|Lumbroso]] family",<ref name="forward-082506">{{cite news | url=http://www.forward.com/articles/alleged-slur-casts-spotlight-on-senator%E2%80%99s-jewis/ | title=Alleged Slur Casts Spotlight On Senator's (Jewish?) Roots | publisher=[[The Forward]] | date=August 25, 2006 | first=E.J. | last=Kessler | access-date=September 4, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114071758/http://www.forward.com/articles/alleged-slur-casts-spotlight-on-senator%E2%80%99s-jewis/ | archive-date=January 14, 2009 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and that therefore by the [[Halakhah|Jewish legal rule]] of [[matrilineal descent]], Allen himself would be considered Jewish.
On September 18, 2006, Allen and Webb debated each other at the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/18/AR2006091801240.html | title=As Fall Approaches, Va. Race Gauges Influence of Bush, Iraq | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=September 16, 2006 | first=Robert | last=Barnes | access-date=April 30, 2010 | archive-date=November 8, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108181231/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/18/AR2006091801240.html | url-status=live }}</ref> One of the more interesting aspects of this debate came when Allen was questioned by WUSA-TV anchor Peggy Fox. Fox said: "It has been reported [that] your grandfather Felix, whom you were given your middle name for, was Jewish. Could you please tell us whether your forebears include Jews and, if so, at which point Jewish identity might have ended?" This led to a booing from the crowd and anger from Allen who admonished Fox for "making aspersions" and responded: "To be getting into what religion my mother is, I don't think is relevant...Why is that relevant -- my religion, Jim's religion or the religious beliefs of anyone out there?...My mother is French-Italian with a little Spanish blood in her."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGcE20oT7_E | title=George Allen on Hardball | author=MSNBC | date=September 2006 | work=YouTube | access-date=November 20, 2012 | archive-date=November 9, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109175943/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGcE20oT7_E | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/18/AR2006091801014.html | title=The Senator's Gentile Rebuke | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=September 19, 2006 | last=Milbank | first=Dana | access-date=November 30, 2006 | archive-date=November 10, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110190434/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/18/AR2006091801014.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The next day, Allen issued a statement both confirming and distancing himself from his mother's Jewish ancestry. The statement read: {{quote|I was raised as a Christian and my mother was raised as a Christian. And I embrace and take great pride in every aspect of my diverse heritage, including my Lumbroso family line's Jewish heritage, which I learned about from a recent magazine article and my mother confirmed.<ref name="forward-091906">{{cite news | url=http://www.forward.com/articles/allen-confirms-mothers-jewish-roots/ | title=Senator Allen Confirms Mother's Jewish Roots | publisher=[[The Forward]] | date=September 16, 2006 | access-date=September 4, 2009 | archive-date=September 18, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918050735/http://www.forward.com/articles/allen-confirms-mothers-jewish-roots/ | url-status=live }}</ref>}}
Allen also told the ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]'', in a reference to [[kosher]] dieting, "I still had a ham sandwich for lunch. And my mother made great pork chops."<ref name="rtd-092006">{{cite news | url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190712778 | title=Allen tells of his Jewish heritage | work=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]] | date=September 20, 2006 | first1=Peter | last1=Hardin | first2=Jeff | last2=Schapiro | access-date=November 10, 2021 | archive-date=November 12, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112042504/http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190712778 | url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported that Allen's mother feared retribution against her family if her religious and ethnic background became public, and had originally asked Allen to keep that information private.<ref name="WP-092106">{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001965.html | title=Allen's Mother Revealed Jewish Heritage to Him Last Month | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=September 21, 2006 | access-date=November 9, 2006 | last=Shear | first=Michael D | page=A01 | archive-date=April 29, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429235009/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001965.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Although no mention is made of her mother's religion in Allen's sister's book, she does mention that the [[Catholic]] Church, before marrying the couple, required Allen's parents to agree that any children would be raised Catholic, and as a result they decided to be married by a [[justice of the peace]] in the home of a Jewish friend.<ref name="forward-082506" />
==PAC ad on Allen's body armor vote==
In mid-September, [[VoteVets.org]], a political action committee formed in 2006 that is primarily composed of former [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]] veterans and headed by [[Jon Soltz]], released a television advertisement criticizing Allen for voting against body armor for US troops in 2003.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8zQA1gYwpk YouTube] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319064719/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8zQA1gYwpk |date=March 19, 2021 }} Vote Vets PAC television advertisement</ref> The claim was based on Allen's vote against a Democratic amendment that would have increased [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] funding for body armor.
Various organizations subsequently attempted to assess the validity of the claim. The ''[[Arizona Republic]]'' ran a piece headlined "VoteVets ad is pure deceit."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.azcentral.com/php-bin/clicktrack/print.php?referer=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0919tue2-19.html | title=VoteVets ad is pure deceit | publisher=Arizona Republic | date=September 19, 2006}}</ref> [[FactCheck]].org said the ad contained "false claims."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.factcheck.org/article438.html | title=False Claims About Body Armor | publisher=FactCheck.org | date=September 20, 2006 | access-date=September 4, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912234650/http://www.factcheck.org/article438.html | archive-date=September 12, 2009 | url-status=dead }}</ref> But [[Media Matters for America]] said Allen voted against troop body armor not once, but twice.<ref name=MediaMatters>{{cite web | url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200609220002 | title=AZ Republic, FactCheck.org lobbed misleading claims in attempt to debunk Vote Vets ad criticizing Allen | publisher=Media Matters for America | date=September 21, 2006 | access-date=September 4, 2009 | archive-date=April 30, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430095410/http://mediamatters.org/items/200609220002 | url-status=live }}</ref>
In March 2003, Allen voted against a bill that "targets shortfalls identified by the National Guard and Reserve in their Unfunded Requirement lists," including the shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests.<ref name=MediaMatters /> On October 2, 2003, Allen voted against a Democratic amendment by Senator [[Christopher Dodd]] to add $322 million to the $300 million (for body armor and battlefield cleanup) that the [[Senate Appropriations Committee]] had already attached to an $87 billion emergency supplemental bill.<ref name=MediaMatters />
==Allen's use of racial epithets==
Salon published a story in late September reporting that three of Allen's former college football teammates said that during the 1970s, Allen repeatedly used [[Nigger|an inflammatory racial epithet]] and demonstrated racist attitudes toward blacks.<ref name="Nword">{{cite news | url=http://salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/24/allen_football/ | title=Teammates: Allen used "N-word" in college | work=[[Salon.com]] | date=September 24, 2006 | first=Michael | last=Scherer | access-date=September 4, 2009 | archive-date=August 27, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827013413/http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/24/allen_football/ | url-status=live }}</ref> On September 29, Edward Sabornie, a professor at North Carolina State University who had been in Allen's class and played football with him, decided to go on record with his allegations. Sabornie had commented under condition of anonymity in Salon's previous article about Allen's use of the slur. In that article, he was described as a "white teammate" and commented that using racial epithets "was so common with George when he was among his white friends. [It was] the terminology he used." Sabornie also recalled Allen as having referred to blacks as "roaches" and Latinos as "[[wetback (slur)|wetback]]s".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/29/allen_sabornie/index.html | archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080306233330/http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/29/allen_sabornie/index_np.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 6, 2008 | title=Another teammate confirms Allen used "N-word" | first=Michael | last=Scherer | work=[[Salon.com]] | date=September 29, 2006 }}</ref>
Following the first Salon article, pundit [[Larry Sabato]], who attended the University of Virginia at the same time as Allen, stated on a televised interview that he knew for a fact that Allen used the epithet.  Sabato later recanted saying that he had only heard that rumor from someone else.<ref>{{cite news | title=Professor Says Senator Used Racial Slur | first=Bob |last=Lewis | publisher=Associated Press | date=September 26, 2006}}</ref> Allen called the claims "ludicrously false", explaining, "[t]he story and [Shelton's] comments and assertions in [the claim] are completely false. I don't remember ever using that word and it is absolutely false that that was ever part of my vocabulary."<ref>{{cite news | title=Sen. Allen Denies Using Racial Slur | first=Bob |last=Lewis | publisher=Associated Press | date=September 25, 2006}}</ref>
==Sons of Confederate Veterans==
On September 28, 2006, the [[Sons of Confederate Veterans]] criticized Allen when the group claimed Allen criticized Southern heritage by stating that he had come to recognize that the Confederate Battle flag had negative racial overtones.<ref name="Sons">{{cite news | url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060928/ap_on_el_se/virginia_senate | title=Group accuses Allen of spurning heritage | publisher=[[Associated Press]] | date= September 28, 2006 | first=Joe | last=Nickell}}</ref>
== Webb's use of racial epithets ==
In late September, Webb was asked if he had ever used the word "[[nigger]]". Webb replied that "I don't think that there's anyone who grew up around the South that hasn't had the word pass through their lips at one time in their life." Webb noted that that word and a lot of other epithets were in ''Fields of Fire'', a novel Webb wrote about the Vietnam War.<ref name="Webbnword">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190839884 |title=Webb 'never directed slur at anyone' |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=September 27, 2006 |access-date=November 5, 2006 |last=Krishnamurthy |first=Kiran }}{{Dead link|date=July 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Allen campaign officials referred reporters to Dan Cragg, a former acquaintance of Webb's. Cragg said that Webb told him in 1963 that Webb and members of his ROTC unit at the University of Southern California would "hop into their cars, and would go down to Watts", taking fake rifles, and yell out epithets, "point the rifles at them [black people], pull the triggers and then drive off laughing." Cragg had recorded the interview in which he claimed the anecdote was related, but it is absent from the tape. Spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd quoted Webb as saying: "In 1963, you couldn't go to Watts and do that kind of thing. You'd get killed. So of course I didn't do it. I would never do that. I would never want to do that." Webb also produced a friend from the time who claimed that the two had never driven to Watts as claimed.<ref name="Webbdenies">{{cite news |first=Michael D |last=Shear |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092702062.html |title=Webb Denies Ever Using Word as Epithet: Racial Slur Overshadowing All Else in Contest |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 28, 2006 |access-date=November 5, 2006 |page=B01 |archive-date=November 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061102033900/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092702062.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
An October 18, 2006, article in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' quotes a recent interview with Webb concerning the portrayal of ethnic stereotypes in Hollywood. Webb said, "[[List of ethnic slurs#T|Towel-heads]] and [[Redneck (stereotype)|rednecks]] -- of which I am one. If you write that word, please say that. I mean, I don't use that pejoratively, I use it defensively. Towel-heads and rednecks became the easy villains in so many movies out there".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701585_3.html | title=Don't Call Him Redneck | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=October 18, 2006 | first=Libby | last=Copeland | access-date=November 10, 2021 | archive-date=December 11, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211055833/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701585_3.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
==Allen's undisclosed business interests==
On October 8, 2006, the Associated Press, reviewing five years of Allen's financial records, reported that Allen did not properly report income and stock options from companies which have federal contracts, and contacted the Army to help a company in which he has an interest.<ref name="APstockoptions">{{cite news| url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/print?id=2542244 |title=AP: Sen. Allen failed to disclose stock options |last=Theimer |first=Sharon |publisher=Associated Press | work=ABC News |date=October 9, 2006 |access-date=November 6, 2006}}</ref> Allen's staff said Allen believed in "good faith" that he did not need to report the stock options because their purchase price was higher than the current market value.
Following the AP report, Allen asked the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics|Senate ethics committee]] for an opinion on whether he should have disclosed his options. The ethics committee ruled than Allen was not required to disclose his stock options, and did not err in not doing so.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=6122824&nav=S6aK|title=WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville &#124; Our Apologies<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=Wdbj7.com|access-date=November 10, 2021}}{{Dead link|date=July 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
== Webb's name truncated on ballots ==
On October 24, 2006, ''The Washington Post'' reported that Webb's last name would be truncated on electronic ballots used in [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]], [[Falls Church, Virginia|Falls Church]] and [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]]. Webb's name should have appeared as ''James H. 'Jim' Webb'' but only ''James H. 'Jim''' showed on a summary page due to the font size used on the InterCivic voting machines. Allen's name ''George F. Allen'' was not affected by this glitch. The Virginia State Board of Elections pledged to have it fixed by the 2007 statewide elections and to post signs warning voters of this error.<ref name="webbnameglitch">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/23/AR2006102301178.html |title=Some Voting Machines Chop Off Candidates' Names |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Smith |first=Leef |date=October 24, 2006 |access-date=October 29, 2006 |page=B04 |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516063553/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/23/AR2006102301178.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Sexually explicit passages from Webb novels==
On October 26, 2006, the [[Drudge Report]] posted a press release reprinting and commenting on sexually explicit passages from Webb's novels. One excerpt involved a man placing his son's penis in his mouth; others involved allegedly sexist portrayals of women. The press release, which the Drudge Report attributed to the Allen campaign, said the passages fit "a continued pattern of demeaning women" in which Webb "refuse[s] to portray women in a respectful, positive light".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drudgereport.com/flashaw.htm |title=Allen's Revenge: Exposes Underage Sex Scenes in Opponent's Novels |publisher=Drudge Report |date=October 26, 2006 |access-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031204746/http://www.drudgereport.com/flashaw.htm |archive-date=October 31, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> Allen's campaign refused to tell a local radio news station, WTOP-FM, whether it in fact had issued a news release on the matter.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=213&sid=956260 |title=Jim Webb Defends Content of His Novels |publisher=WTOP |date=October 27, 2006 |access-date=October 27, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926212041/http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=213&sid=956260 |archive-date=September 26, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In a radio interview on October 27, 2006, Webb described the Allen campaign's tactics as "smear after smear", and called the attack on his fiction baseless "character assassination". Webb defended his fiction work, saying that "the duty of a writer is to illuminate [his] surroundings". He said that the scene involving the man and his son was based upon an incident in a Bangkok slum that he witnessed as a journalist<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/27/webb.allen/ |title=Webb on sex passage recital: 'It's smear after smear' |access-date=October 27, 2006 |date=October 27, 2006 |publisher=CNN |last=Levs |first=Joshua |archive-date=November 7, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107100533/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/27/webb.allen/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and that it was "not a sexual act".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0610/27/acd.01.html |title=Virginia Senate Race Heats Up; Does Negative Campaign Advertising Work?; Authorities Investigate Suspected Arson in California |publisher=CNN.com, Transcript of Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees |date=October 27, 2006 |access-date=December 10, 2006 |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604131733/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0610/27/acd.01.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Responding to the controversy, Allen stated: "My record as a United States senator is an open book. My opponent has a record as well. He, in his advertisements, points out that he's an author, that he's a writer of books. That's part of his record. These passages in his books are part of his open record. I'll let the people of Virginia be the judge as to whose record they are more comfortable with."<ref name="Crosstheline">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/28/AR2006102800911_pf.html |title=Webb Defends Novels Against Attacks: Allen Has Crossed a 'Line That Should Never Be Crossed,' Candidate Says |access-date=December 10, 2006 |date=October 29, 2006 |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Craig |first=Tim |archive-date=December 5, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205152551/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/28/AR2006102800911_pf.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
At a campaign rally in Annandale on October 28, 2006, Webb noted that his novel ''Fields of Fire'' has been on the [[Commandant of the United States Marine Corps|Commandant of the Marine Corps]] reading list for twenty years and claimed that it is the "most-taught piece of literature regarding the Vietnam War" on college campuses.<ref name="Crosstheline" /> Webb further listed the various accolades his books have received.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdEtGaY831w&mode=related&search= |title=Jim Webb Responds Vigorously to False Personal Attacks (video. Webb defense begins at 0:58) |access-date=December 10, 2006 |date=October 29, 2006 |publisher=Moving Virginia Forward |archive-date=September 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918155840/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdEtGaY831w&mode=related&search= |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Allen's arrest warrant records==
The [[Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]] has criticized Allen for his refusal to release documents that would potentially shed light on the multiple warrants that were issued for his arrest in 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dscc.org/news/roundup/20061028_allen/ |title=Allen Arrest Records Controversy: Allen Refuses To Release Documents Detailing His Arrest Record |work=DSCC website |date=October 28, 2006 |access-date=October 30, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104110516/http://www.dscc.org/news/roundup/20061028_allen/ |archive-date=November 4, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>
==Allen supporters attack blogger==
On October 31, footage of multiple Allen supporters attacking a constituent, [[Mike Stark]], during a campaign stop in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]] began to circulate among various news organizations and online sources.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btMbyDmzs_Q&mode=related&search= |title=YouTube - Allen Staffer Attacks Man<!-- Bot generated title --> |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313225600/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btMbyDmzs_Q&mode=related&search= |url-status=live }}</ref> Stark, a liberal blogger, Marine veteran and law student, attempted to ask Allen about his missing arrest records and the reasons for the sealing of his divorce papers. After yelling out a question about rumors of Allen having assaulted his first wife, Stark was "briefly placed in a headlock, restrained, slung to the ground, and forcibly escorted from the hotel by three Allen supporters".<ref name="VAlawweekly">{{cite news |title=Law Student Protester Sparks Political Controversy |last=Snyder |first=Drew |url=http://www.lawweekly.org/?module=displaystory&story_id=1363&edition_id=46&format=html |date=November 2, 2006 |access-date=November 16, 2006 |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928053540/http://www.lawweekly.org/?module=displaystory&story_id=1363&edition_id=46&format=html |url-status=live }}</ref> Stark was detained several days later at another rally after an Allen supporter claimed Stark pushed him to the ground.<ref name="starkdetained">{{cite news|last=Barakat|first=Matthew|publisher=AP|title=Liberal Blogger Taken Into Custody|date=November 4, 2006}}</ref>
==Telephone intimidation==
The [[FBI]] launched an investigation into alleged attempts to intimidate potential Democratic voters in eight counties before the poll, by use of telephone calls to suggest that persons with outstanding warrants would be arrested as they voted, a classic example of [[voter suppression]].<ref name="deceptivecallsCNN">{{cite news|publisher=CNN|title=FBI launches probe of Virginia pre-election calls|date=November 7, 2006|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/07/deceptivecalls.va/|access-date=September 4, 2009|archive-date=June 10, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610112408/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/07/deceptivecalls.va/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{2006 U.S. midterm elections}}
[[Category:2006 controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:United States election controversies|Virginia United States slection]]