Could George Allen — the one-term Republican Senator from Virginia who in 2006 threw away a seemingly certain re-election and future presidential run when he called a Jim Webb staffer by the obscure racial epithet, “macaca” — actually be able to make a comeback?
The new survey of Virginia from Public Policy Polling (D) finds that Allen has a 50% favorable rating, with 38% unfavorable. When asked whether they would vote for Allen if he ran for office again, 31% said they would definitely vote for him, 36% said definitely not, and 31% said they would consider it.
One caveat: Due to a higher motivation among GOP voters at this time, this poll comes from a likely voter pool that is more white, less black, and more conservative than the 2008 electorate. For example, respondents voted 49%-45% for McCain (plus respondents who wouldn’t divulge their votes), compared to a 53%-47% Obama win in the actual election. Still, as Dave Weigel points out, 12% of African-Americans would vote for Allen, and 19% would consider it — which does seem rather odd.
