Real Clear Politics is confirming that the Rasmussen poll to be released will show Republican incumbent Senator George Allen ahead by just one point over Democratic challenger Jim Webb.
With the race being so close – and all of the polls are showing results within the margin of error – the question is what will it take for either man to pull off a win. I think the most critical issue will be GOTV – Get Out The Vote. Will the Republican machine be able to motivate its supporters enough to get them to the polls? Will the Democrats be able to do likewise? Have both campaigns done enough to inform and engage their base?
I predicted earlier that the Republicans will do whatever is necessary to help Allen win this race. With just 12 days left in the race, I expect the Allen campaign to release a barrage of new ads aimed at both encouraging Republican turnout and suppressing that of the Democrats. The biggest question in all of this is will Webb have the resources to withstand the coming storm. Remember, Allen had $5.6 million on hand at 9/30, while Webb had only $2.7 million.
I guess we’ll see soon enough.
Technorati Tags: Jim Webb, George Allen
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 