Despite a potentially crowded GOP primary field for U.S. Senate in 2012, former Sen. George Allen looks to be in good shape to reclaim his old seat, according to a poll released Thursday by the left-leaning firm Public Policy Polling.
More than half of Virginia’s GOP primary voters would prefer Allen compared with just 25 percent for a generic “more conservative” candidate, according to the poll.
When broken down into specific candidates, 67 percent of respondents prefer Allen, compared wtih 7 percent for Del. Bob Marshall, R-Prince William, 3 percent for Hampton Roads lawyer David McCormick, 4 percent for Tea Party leader Jamie Radtke, and 3 percent for Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart.
Allen, McCormick and Radtke are the only GOP candidates who have officially announced they’re running for the seat of retiring Sen. Jim Webb.
“The threat of a Tea Party challenge to George Allen has been pretty overblown,” said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling. “He’s a lot more immune to that than most establishment Republican politicians are.”
The poll surveyed 400 usual Virginia Republican primary voters from Feb. 24-27, with a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent. Other factors like people refusing to be interviewed and weighting may introduce additional error, the poll said.
On the Democratic side, former Gov. and current Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine is expected to announce soon whether he will run for the seat, with other potential candidates including former Reps. Tom Perriello and Rick Boucher, as well as current Reps. Gerry Connolly and Bobby Scott.
