Virginia's constitutional amendment on marriage will attract conservative voters who otherwise would have stayed home in frustration with national Republicans, grass-roots activists say. ***Democrats say Republicans should not be so confident that the measure will pass with a large margin. They say its placement on the ballot -- once considered a gift from Republican state legislators so Mr. Allen could get a landslide win -- is stirring opposition in the more liberal areas of the state.
***
"You'll see a lot of people connect the dots between discrimination and macaca," Mr. Moran said. "This is the politics of division, and there is a relationship between the two."Though Mr. Allen has the advantage in fundraising and name recognition, the momentum is held by the Democrats and Mr. Webb, a former Republican secretary of the Navy under President Reagan.
Activists familiar with the grass-roots efforts of both parties in Virginia say the Democrats have the organizational advantage and can build on the successes of the current governor and his predecessor, both Democrats."I'm getting the largest turnouts at my rallies since I had in 1992 when [Bill] Clinton was running for president," said Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat from Southwest Virginia, a traditionally Republican region.
Some Republicans predict that a large turnout will not be enough to save Mr. Allen from conservatives irritated about immigration policy and other voters angry at President Bush over the war in Iraq.
"There is a growing frustration that maybe it's time for a change, maybe it is time for the Republicans to lose some power," said Brag Bowling, a commander in Virginia's Sons of Confederate Veterans and, until recently, a loyal Allen supporter. "They can't wage a winning war, they can't balance our budget, they can't protect our borders."
Mr. Bowling also said Mr. Allen insulted his Southern heritage when he said at a conference of historically black colleges and universities that he has come to understand that the Confederate flag is a symbol of hate and intolerance for blacks and regrets once having displayed it.
Copyright +é-¬ 2006 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
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It's time for representatives who don't change their positions on the issues everytime they meet with a different group. We need integrity. We need Jim Webb.