Republican George Allen swung through Prince William County on Wednesday with Board of County Supervisor Chairman Corey Stewart — a one-time Allen critic, as Democrats point out — as Allen continues his tour of Old Dominion with top Republicans ahead of Tuesday’s U.S. Senate primary.
The far-and-away frontrunner for the nomination, Allen has nevertheless embarked on a “get-out-the-vote” push ahead of Election Day while shoring up GOP support before his likely fall showdown with Democratic candidate Tim Kaine.
Allen made a number of stops Wednesday with Stewart, a candidate for lieutenant governor in 2013, in Woodbridge. He also began airing radio ads that are more critical of Kaine and President Obama than his three primary opponents.
“Tuesday, June 12, we can send a message to President Obama and his liberal hand-picked [Democratic] Party Chairman, Tim Kaine,” the ad said.
But Democrats mocked Allen’s appearances with Stewart, noting that on a number of occasions Stewart has ripped Allen as “part of the problem” and “the Brett Favre of politics.”
“I can’t even think of a single major accomplishment by George Allen when he was in the Senate,” Stewart said in 2011. “He was just your standard George Bush-like Republican.”
Stewart said Wednesday that he regretted those comments.
“Clearly, I was mistaken. I shouldn’t have said those things about George,” Stewart said. “I’ve gotten to know him a lot better. I’m firmly convinced he’s the best Republican to face Tim Kaine in the fall.”
Allen launched his “Send a Message” tour last week. He already appeared publicly with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and has events lined up with Gov. Bob McDonnell and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed the Kaine-Allen race remains deadlocked, with Kaine’s 44 percent to Allen’s 43 percent well within the poll’s margin of error.
