Yet to concede, Allen camp awaits certification of vote tally

Minutes before midnight on Tuesday, incumbent Sen. George Allen’s small yet consistent lead vanished. After 99 percent of Virginia voting precincts had reported in, Democratic challenger Jim Webb took a nearly 3,000-vote lead and held it through the night.

Around 12:30 a.m., Allen addressed the dissipating crowd at his Richmond Marriott headquarters for the first time in the night.

“We are still counting votes,” Allen said. “The first time I ever won an election, I won by 18 votes.”

Four hours after Virginia polls closed at 7 p.m., Allen still led the close race by more than 20,000 votes, with 95 percent of Virginia’s precincts reporting. By 11:30 p.m., however, Allen’s lead shrank to 7,000 votes. By 11:50 p.m., CNN reported a lead switch, with Webb slightly ahead.

“I know the counting will continue through the night, and it will continue tomorrow,” Allen said. “I want to thank you all because I know you are going to be like a bunch of eagles and hawks watching how every one of these votes are accurately counted.”

Some vote tallies have already changed, as precincts rechecked their tallies Wednesday. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Stafford County changed its official vote tally Wednesday from 1,969 votes for Webb, as submitted Tuesday night, to 541 votes.

By Wednesday night, however, the Virginia State Board of Elections still reported Webb as having a 7,316 vote lead over Allen.

In any Virginia election with candidates finishing within half a percent apart, the second-place candidate may call for a recount. Considering that Webb and Allen finished about .3 percent apart, the final count is well within the bounds of a recount.

Although Allen did not specifically address the possibility of a recount when addressing the crowd, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling afterward told reporters that a recount is very likely.

“We are going to make sure that this recount is conducted within the parameters of the law,” Bolling said. “When all of the votes are counted and recounted, we will know who won this campaign, but we are not going to know that for some time.”

Allen is rumored to be holding a press conference sometime today to confirm or deny the possibility of a recount.

The close race and potential defeat for Allen came as a surprise to many within his campaign.

“If you look at George Allen’s background knowledge and experience compared with that of his opponent, this is a race he should have won by double digits,” Bolling said.

Earlier in the night, Bolling projected an easy win for Allen when speaking at the rally.

“George Allen’s still in the lead, and he is going to get six more years in the U.S. Senate,” he said.

Throughout the night, however, Allen barely held a lead over Webb, consistently holding 50 percent of the vote versus Webb’s 49 percent.

Around 8:40 p.m., Virginia Attorney General Bob

McDonnell stopped to talk to a small group of Allen supporters in the Marriott lobby. Before leaving, he slowly exhaled and extended his two pointer fingers an inch apart, saying, “Close. It’s close.”

Newscasters from CNN continuously stated through the night that uncounted votes were still to be reported from Northern Virginia, an area projected to favor Webb. Just after 11 p.m., Webb told his supporters things looked good when considering the uncounted votes. When his comment flashed across the 8-foot television screens at the Allen rally, boos filled the room.

Earlier in the night, Rep. Eric Cantor addressed the crowd after being re-elected to represent the 7th District, which includes localities north of Richmond. Cantor won the race with nearly 64 percent of the vote versus Democrat Jim Nachman with 34.3 percent.

“The voters have spoken,” Cantor said. “Tonight our cause and our shared values have been advanced, and together we will work to keep the 7th District safe, secure and prosperous.”

Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Kate Griffin introduced Cantor around 9 p.m., saying, “What a great night for Republicans.”

Later in the night, McDonnell echoed Griffin’s sentiments.

“Like Mark Twain said, sometimes the rumors of people’s death and demise are greatly exaggerated and often premature,” McDonnell said. “That has often been said about our great Republican Party, but let me remind you, my friends, this is a party on the upswing.”

Ironically, the statements came during a major congressional shift, in which the Democrats took majority control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994. After Montana’s close election appears to have swayed toward Democrat Jon Tester Tuesday, the Senate leadership now hangs in the balance of the Virginia race.

If Allen wins, Republicans would share equal numbers with Democrats in the Senate, with Vice President Dick Cheney casting tie-breaking votes in favor of Republicans. If Webb wins, the Democrats would gain a two-seat majority in the Senate.

In the meantime, Bolling advised Virginia citizens to wait.

“Be patient,” Bolling said. “It is important that we get this right.”