Allen campaign brought down by mistakes

WASHINGTON -- Senator George F. Allen, the Virginia Republican who once envisioned using an easy reelection campaign as a platform to run for the presidency, conceded defeat yesterday, formally turning control of the Senate to the Democrats. But he left the door open for another political race, saying, "We live to fight another day for our vision of America's future."

Nonetheless, Allen, the son of a famed former National Football League coach, may have all but ended his hopes for the presidency in 2008 by running an error- plagued campaign and losing to Democrat James Webb. Allen's political misfortune may be a boost for the presidential prospects of Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, whose advisers once had viewed Allen as a leading opponent in a Republican primary race.

Political analyst Stuart Rothenberg said Allen's loss has created an opening for a conservative-leaning candidate, whether that is Romney or someone else. "The fact that Allen has crashed and burned has got to be a plus for Romney," Rothenberg said.

By conceding to Webb -- and rejecting his right to seek a taxpayer-financed recount -- Allen said he hoped to avoid the bitterness of a retally that could have lasted until Christmas. Webb won the race by about 9,000 votes, according to the website of the Virginia State Board of Elections. The decision to concede also helped Allen make a gracious exit that could help him if he does seek political office again.

Webb, speaking to supporters shortly after Allen's concession, hoisted up a pair of combat boots that belong to his son, Jimmy, who is serving in Iraq. He predicted a diplomatic settlement to the war in Iraq, called on President Bush "to denounce the campaign tactics that have divided us, " and stressed that his campaign was based on economic security as well as antiwar sentiment.

Allen, who initially held a double-digit lead in the polls, saw his standing plummet after he was caught referring to an Indian-American campaign worker for Webb as "macaca," which was interpreted by some as an ethnic slur. Then Allen chastised a reporter who asked about the Jewish ancestry of Allen's family, saying the journalist was "making aspersions about people because of their religious beliefs."

Shortly thereafter, Allen said that he didn't know about his ancestry until his mother confirmed it last summer, and said he embraced his Jewish background.

After Allen's poll numbers dropped, he fought back with a series of tough ads that depicted Webb as insensitive to women. Webb had written an article in 1979 for Washingtonian magazine titled "Women Can't Fight," in which he said a co-ed residence hall was a "horny woman's dream." One ad attacking Webb said his values were right for 1806, not 2006. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee responded with a commercial that said Allen supported Bush 96 percent of the time and backed the president's "stay the course" Iraq policy.

Rothenberg said Allen lost because the "macaca" statement raised questions about Allen's tolerance and intellect, which in turn led voters to more seriously examine the choice between Allen and Webb and their stances on Iraq .

Republican Party chairman Ken Mehlman told reporters yesterday that Virginia is "more of a mid-Atlantic state than it was before" because of Democratic growth in the suburbs. With changing demographics, dissatisfaction with Republicans, and Allen's own "slip of the tongue," it was a "tough environment" for Allen," Mehlman said. "All those things hit him hard."

Mehlman will step down from his post when his two-year term ends in January, GOP officials said yesterday.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because Mehlman had not yet made his intentions public.

Joseph Williams of the Globe staff contributed to this report.