The 2006 Virginia Senate election ended with Democrat Jim Webb defeating Republican incumbent George Allen by 9,329 votes out of nearly 2.4 million cast, a margin of 0.39 percentage points that handed Democrats the 51st seat they needed to retake control of the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1994.1Historical Elections. 2006 U.S. Senate General Election in Virginia2NBC News. Webb Win Gives Democrats Control of Congress Allen had started the race 16 points ahead and was considered a leading contender for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.3NBC News. Allen’s Defeat in Virginia A single moment on a Southwest Virginia campaign stop changed that.
The Macaca Moment That Turned the Race
On August 11, 2006, at a rally in Breaks, Virginia, Allen pointed to S.R. Sidarth, a 20-year-old University of Virginia student of Indian descent who was filming the event as a volunteer tracker for the Webb campaign. “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,” Allen told the crowd, adding, “Let’s give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.”4CNN. Allen Apologizes for Remark to Volunteer
The Webb campaign put the video online, and it spread fast. “Macaca” was widely identified as a term with racial connotations; in Tunisia, where Allen’s mother was born, it has been used to refer to dark-skinned people.5NPR. GOP’s Allen Faces Tight Senate Race in Virginia Allen first claimed the word was “made up” and “in no way intended to be racially derogatory,” offering a conditional apology: “I apologize if my comments offended this young man.”4CNN. Allen Apologizes for Remark to Volunteer On August 16, Allen met with roughly 20 Indian-American community members at a hotel in Tysons Corner and said the remark was “a mistake, it was wrong, and it was hurtful to people.”6ABC News. Allen’s Macaca Moment
Analysts across the spectrum treated the episode as politically fatal. University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato called it a “clumsy stupid gaffe,” conservative commentator Rich Lowry said it showed “Allen has a mean streak,” and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews asked whether Allen was “committing suicide” politically.6ABC News. Allen’s Macaca Moment Allen’s comfortable lead evaporated almost overnight, and the race became one of the most closely watched in the country.
Allen’s History With Race Resurfaces
The macaca episode opened the door to a wider examination of Allen’s past. Former classmates and acquaintances told reporters that Allen had worn Confederate flag pins in high school, displayed Confederate flags in his van and apartment at the University of Virginia, and kept a hangman’s noose in his Charlottesville law office, which he described as part of a Western memorabilia collection. During his 1993 gubernatorial campaign, Allen had acknowledged displaying a Confederate flag in his living room as part of a “flag collection,” and as governor he issued “Confederate History Month” proclamations for three years that made no mention of slavery.7NBC News. Allen’s Ties to Confederate Symbols
Former acquaintances also alleged Allen had used racial slurs against Black people during his college years. Allen called the claims “baseless allegations.”8PBS NewsHour. Supporters of Virginia Senate Candidates Speak Out Separately, The Jewish Daily Forward reported that Allen’s mother was Jewish by birth. Asked about his ancestry at a debate, Allen responded defensively, citing “freedom of religion” and accusing the reporter of casting “aspersions,” then later released a statement saying he “embraces and takes great pride in every aspect of his diverse heritage.”5NPR. GOP’s Allen Faces Tight Senate Race in Virginia
The Attack on Webb’s Novels
With less than two weeks until Election Day, the Allen campaign released excerpts of sexually explicit passages from Webb’s novels to the Drudge Report under the heading “Webb’s Weird World.” The campaign cited scenes involving graphic sexuality and children from Lost Soldiers, Something to Die For, and Fields of Fire, arguing the material was “demeaning to women” and raised questions about Webb’s fitness for office.9The Washington Post. Allen Blasts Webb Novels for Sex Scenes10KERA News. Senator Jim Webb Choosing His Battles Novelist John Grisham defended Webb, calling the tactic “a clear sign of a desperate campaign.”
The Vote on November 7
The final count was close enough that both campaigns spent election night waiting on precincts in Northern Virginia:
- James H. Webb Jr. (D): 1,175,606 votes (49.6%)
- George F. Allen (R): 1,166,277 votes (49.2%)
- Glenda Gail Parker (Independent Green): 26,102 votes (1.1%)
Total turnout reached 2,370,445, and Webb won by 9,329 votes.1Historical Elections. 2006 U.S. Senate General Election in Virginia Parker, who had run a lightly funded campaign focused primarily on expanding passenger rail, publicly explored withdrawing and endorsing one of the major candidates in exchange for commitments on high-speed rail, but ultimately stayed in the race.11The New York Times. Third-Party Candidate in Virginia Senate Race
The Iraq War drove the result. Exit polls showed voters who strongly disapproved of the war broke for Webb at 91 percent, while those who strongly approved backed Allen at 94 percent. Of voters who said the war was “extremely important” to their vote, 58 percent chose Webb. Views of President George W. Bush functioned as a proxy for the Senate vote: 98 percent of voters who said they cast their ballot to oppose Bush went for Webb.12CNN. 2006 Virginia Senate Exit Polls
Demographic splits were sharp. Women favored Webb 55 to 45 percent; men backed Allen 55 to 45 percent. White voters supported Allen 58 to 42 percent, while Black voters supported Webb 85 to 15 percent. Northern Virginia, the state’s fast-growing suburban corridor, gave Webb 60 percent of its vote, enough to offset Allen’s advantages in western Virginia and the Richmond area.12CNN. 2006 Virginia Senate Exit Polls
Despite the thin margin, Allen conceded on November 9 without requesting a recount. Webb said Allen called him and “was very gracious and he offered to assist us in this transition.”13C-SPAN. Webb Victory Speech
Why It Flipped the Senate
Webb’s win was the final piece in a Democratic sweep. Allen was one of six Republican incumbent senators to lose that year, along with Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, Mike DeWine in Ohio, Jim Talent in Missouri, Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island, and Conrad Burns in Montana. Combined with the party’s takeover of the House, Virginia’s result ended 12 years of Republican congressional dominance. The new majority included independents Joe Lieberman and Bernie Sanders, who caucused with the Democrats. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said Americans had spoken “clearly and decisively in favor of Democrats leading this country in a new direction,” and incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the result a “mandate for making this place more honest.” President Bush called the night a “thumpin’.”2NBC News. Webb Win Gives Democrats Control of Congress
What Happened to Webb and Allen
Webb served a single term, from January 2007 to January 2013. His signature achievement was the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which he introduced on his first day in office and wrote himself. Signed in 2008, it provided veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with tuition assistance and monthly living stipends and eventually benefited more than 750,000 veterans and their families.14GovInfo. Jim Webb Senate Document He announced in February 2011 that he would not seek reelection.15Politico. Webb to Retire, Dems Eye Kaine A brief 2015 run for the Democratic presidential nomination ended that October, with Webb saying his views were “not compatible with the power structure and base of the Democratic Party.”16NPR. Jim Webb Ends His Presidential Campaign
Allen’s presidential prospects were gone. He tried to reclaim his seat in 2012, when Webb retired, adopting a more disciplined campaign style and replacing national strategists with the manager who had run his 1993 governor’s race.17WAMU. Analysis: George Allen’s Comeback He lost to former governor Tim Kaine, 52.8 percent to 46.9 percent, by a far wider margin than in 2006.18Historical Elections. 2012 U.S. Senate General Election in Virginia
Sidarth, the student whose camera captured the macaca moment, graduated from UVA with degrees in political science and computer science, earned a law degree from George Washington University in 2012, and went on to practice law in Washington.19The Virginian-Pilot. Whatever Happened to S.R. Sidarth