George Allen Republican Jim Webb Democratic The 2006 United States Senate election in Virginia was held November 7, 2006.

Allen, who previously served as Governor of Virginia and was considered a possible candidate for president in 2008, was running for his second term.

Webb, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, writer and former Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan won the Democratic nomination after being drafted by netroots activists, such as those at the blog Raising Kaine.

Polls clearly favored Allen through mid-August, but on August 11, he was filmed using the ethnic slur Macaca in reference to a Webb campaign volunteer, S.R.

Allen denied any prejudice in the comment, but the video was quickly spread online, and the gaffe caused his lead to shrink considerably.

[2] Federal Election Commission reports show that in the first part of 2006, Miller raised more than twice as much money as Webb, who entered the race in February.

In a September 4, 2002, opinion piece in The Washington Post, Webb wrote: "A long-term occupation of Iraq would beyond doubt require an adjustment of force levels elsewhere, and could eventually diminish American influence in other parts of the world.

Allen supported George W. Bush's tax cuts while Webb said more of the benefits should have gone to middle-class Americans.

The debate likewise covered an upcoming vote on the use of coercive interrogation methods on enemy combatants.

Russert questioned Webb on the recent allegations that his 1979 Washingtonian article fostered hostility towards female students at the Naval Academy.

Russert similarly asked Allen about a statement he made in 2000 in the pages of American Enterprise magazine: "If [Virginia Military Institute] admitted women, it wouldn't be the VMI that we've known for 154 years.

Largely, the responses from the candidates did not expand on the body of knowledge already present in their television and radio commercials.

However, as votes began to come in from population-heavy Richmond, Webb narrowed the gap, and pulled ahead within the last 1 or 2% of precincts to report.

Preliminary results showed Webb holding a lead of 8,942 votes,[64] and many news organizations hesitated to call the election for either candidate until the next day.

If the margin of defeat is between one and one-half of a percentage point, the losing candidate is still entitled to request a recount, but must cover its expense.