From The Washington Post:
James Webb, a former Reagan administration Navy secretary who left the GOP over the war in Iraq, took an early lead over longtime lobbyist and Democratic Party stalwart Harris N. Miller tonight in Virginia's Democratic primary, as voters chose a candidate to run against Republican Sen. George Allen in November.
With more than 75 percent of precincts reporting, Webb led with 52.3 percent of the vote to 47.7 percent for Miller.Turnout was light as voters in the state's Democratic primary chose between Miller, 54, a former high-tech industry lobbyist, and Webb, 60, a decorated Vietnam war veteran, novelist and former Republican. Polls closed at 7 p.m., and initial estimates were that only about 3 percent of Virginia's 4.5 million registered voters cast ballots in the open primary.
The contest between Miller, a liberal who stressed adherence to traditional Democratic values, and Webb, who waged a populist campaign aimed at drawing in moderates and conservative Democrats, turned testy at times as they argued over who would make the strongest challenger to Allen, 54, in the November midterm elections. The former Virginia governor, who has no Republican challenger in his Senate reelection bid, is considered a possible contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008.
The "Bubba" strategy was used in the 2005 state-wide elections by Democrats to good effect. Think of it as the rebirth of the Reagan Democrats.
Considering what a political novice Webb is it's a safe bet that both Republicans and Democrats are in for many surprises as he is forced to take positions on issues besides the war in Iraq.
Update: Webb wins going away.
Update II: Nation Journal's Blogometer rounds up reaction to the Webb win.
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2006 Senate Race
