VA-SEN: Allen gets a challenger on the right. (TPM)
Former Sen. George Allen (R-VA), who is seeking a comeback to the Senate seat he narrowly lost in 2006, has a new challenger in the Republican primary with the potential hammer him from the right: State Delegate Bob Marshall.
Marshall confirmed to the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he is planning to announce his candidacy in the coming days, with a simple answer of “Yes.”
Marshall previously ran for Senate in 2008, when the GOP nomination was decided by a state convention rather than a primary. At that convention, he nearly defeated former Gov. Jim Gilmore, who won by a margin of just 66 votes.
This time around, though, the nomination will be decided in a primary on June 12 — which Allen is heavily favored to win. Allen already has over $2 million cash on hand, and the full support of the Republican Party machinery, which three other Tea Party-style challengers have failed to dent at all. (Indeed, the general election is practically in full swing already, with Allen and presumptive Democratic nominee Tim Kaine having held a heated debate this past December.) But along the way, Marshall might be able to generate some fireworks.
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/right-wing-state-legislator-challenges-george-allen-in-virginia-senate-primary.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
