George Allen's Racist Past Haunts Him in Virginia Senate Race

Strategic Insights -

George Allen, a top Republican candidate for a Senate seat in Virginia, is facing allegations of racism after acquaintances from his college football days came forward saying he used racial slurs and stuck a deer's severed head in a black family's mailbox. This controversy comes on the heels of accusations that he used a racial slur against a Democratic volunteer of Indian origin, further damaging his reputation. Allen's team has responded with several members of his college football team stepping forward to dispute the allegations, but the incident has raised questions about his views on race and whether his fondness for Confederate symbols has become a liability.

Key Takeaways:

  • Five acquaintances from Allen's college football team came forward alleging that he used racial epithets, including the word "nigger", in the company of white friends.
  • A former teammate described a hunting trip where Allen stuffed a dead deer's head in the mailbox of an African-American family, allegedly as a prank.
  • Allen's staff produced four other members of the football team to counter the allegations, with Allen himself denying all the accusations.
  • The controversy has damaged Allen's reputation, particularly in light of accusations of racism in his past.
  • Allen's views on race have come into question due to his fondness for Confederate symbols and his past statements.
  • The incident has undermined Republican efforts to make the party more palatable to African American voters.
  • Allen's anti-war challenger, Jim Webb, has closed the gap in the polls, running within striking distance of the senator.

Statistics:

  • Allen's 19-point lead in the polls has evaporated in recent weeks.
  • The controversy over Allen's racism has sparked a 20-year-old volunteer's YouTube video of Allen's "macaca" comment to go viral, spreading across the internet.
  • 23 years in politics, Allen has repeatedly invoked his grandfather's persecution by Nazis, but has now admitted that his mother was Jewish.
  • Allen ate a ham sandwich for lunch after admitting his mother's Jewish heritage.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press
  • guardian.co.uk/usa