"U.S. Sen. George Allen, R-Fairfax County, conceded defeat Thursday and announced that he would not seek a recount of his apparent 9,000-vote loss to Democratic challenger Jim Webb of Falls Church.

“I see no good purpose being served by continuously and needlessly expending money and causing any more personal animosity,” Allen said in remarks carried live on cable television networks and marking the transition of Senate control to Democrats.

With his wife, Susan, at his side along with U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, Allen delivered a gracious concession speech in which he said he had called Webb, wished him “well in the U.S. Senate and, more importantly, pledged … my absolute, full cooperation in the transition.”

Allen left the door open for a future run for political office and also said that a recount of Tuesday’s election would not in his judgment alter the results.

“Sometimes winds, political or otherwise, can blow the leaves off branches and even break limbs, but a deep-rooted tree will stand, stay standing, to regrow in the next season,” Allen said. “And this season, the people of Virginia, who I’ll call the owners of the government, they have spoken and I respect their decision.

“The Bible teaches us that there’s a time and a place for everything and today I’ve called and congratulated Jim Webb and his team for their victory,” Allen said. “They had the prevailing wind.”

Webb had declared victory Wednesday at about 1 a.m. and had picked up some votes to pad his narrow margin in the canvassing of results across Virginia since then.

As of late Thursday afternoon, the State Board of Elections’ unofficial vote count showed the Democrat with 1,174,908 votes, or 49.59 percent, to Allen’s 1,165,903 votes, or 49.21 percent. Independent Green Gail Parker had 26,121 votes, or 1.1 percent.

Webb’s margin over Allen stood at 9,005 votes. The lead by only 0.38 percent of 2.37 million votes cast would entitle Allen to a taxpayer-funded recount after it becomes certified Nov. 27.

Allen said he realized that a recount “could drag on all the way till Christmas.”

Warner called Allen his working partner in the Senate and one of Virginia’s favorite sons and said Allen, 54, “and his lovely wife and family have a bright future.”

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Richmond Democrat, issued a statement calling Allen’s remarks “gracious, and his decision allows Sen.-elect Webb to continue moving forward without rancor or dispute to assemble a team that will serve Virginia and the nation in the United States Senate for the next six years.”

“I appreciate and honor the respect Sen. Allen demonstrated for Virginia voters by today’s decision to concede the 2006 Senate election to Jim Webb,” said Kaine, who crisscrossed the state campaigning with Webb in recent weeks.

Kaine said that Allen “deserves our appreciation for his 23 years of service to the commonwealth in the House of Delegates, as governor and in Congress.”

Allen began his political career as a young Charlottesville lawyer who represented Albemarle County in the House of Delegates from 1983 until 1991. He served 13 months in the House of Representatives until a Democratic Party redistricting plan lumped him in the same district with Thomas J. Bliley, a veteran Richmond congressman.

Allen deferred to Bliley, left Congress and ran for governor, defeating Mary Sue Terry by a wide margin in 1993. In 2000, Allen defeated two-term Sen. Charles S. Robb by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent and served six years in the Senate until Webb’s upset win this week.

Friends of Allen suggested he might run again for the Senate in 2008, for governor in 2009 or that he might decide to pursue another career altogether and make some money.

Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, predicted that Allen would not seek public office again.

“After you’ve had presidential fever, it is tough to settle for some lesser office,” Sabato said of Allen. “Governor, senator, he’s been there, done that. He can get a very lucrative job in the private sector, as most defeated senators do.”

Some Republicans said they expect Allen to run again for something.

“I don’t think we’ve seen George Allen hang up his cowboy hat yet,” said Albemarle County Republican Lee E. Goodman, counsel for the Republican Party of Virginia." (Bob Gibson, The Daily Progress, November 10, 2006)

Editor's Note: An index to coverage of George Allen on the Loper website may be found at http://loper.org/~george/archives/2006/Aug/925.html