I am glad to see Webb is as competitive as he is, and could well sabatoge whatever chances Allen has left in running even a competitive campaign for his party's 2008 presidential nomination, but this paragraph above is sobering indeed. As the article states, one of his main selling points during the Democratic primary this past June was his crossover appeal to Republicans given his military background, and the fact he served honorably as Navy Secretary under the Reagan administration. It doesn't look as if it is happening. I was also counting on him to at least make it competitive in his native southwestern Virginia.
I think you're right and you touched upon my concerns. Firstly I think Parker will probably cut into Webb sufficiently to re-elect Allen but also I was hoping that Webb could appeal to Reagan Democrats in the state. I think a real reason for the fact that Webb has failed to break out in the lead in this race is money; Allen has a lot of it and Webb is only just beginning to receive it from the DSCC. Still, I am hopeful that Allen is finished if he wins anyway and that with continued funding Webb can possibly win.
