Roll Call Rates Webb Seat Toss Up

While Virginia will be electing a new House of Delegates and State Senate in 2011, the prognosticators are already looking at the 2012 U.S. Senate race.  More and more it is looking like former U.S. Senator George Allen, a true friend to gun owners, is going to run.  There are other Republicans that have also indicated an interest. As of yet, incumbent Democrat Jim Webb, who defeated Allen in 2006 in a stunning upset, has not indicated whether he will run.  Webb has voted the right way on bills directly related to gun rights but voted for both Sonia Sotomayor and Elana Kagan for the Supreme court.  Roll Call had this to say in moving its rating from Leans Democrat to Tossup:

Democrats could have a difficult time holding this seat even if Webb decides to run. In the past year, Republicans ended a streak of disappointing election cycles. The GOP swept the statewide offices in 2009 and won back three House seats in 2010.

 Allen has been very visible since the beginning of the 2010 election cycle too. 

Allen has made his intention to run clear for months by speaking to any Republican gathering around the state that invited him. He also made a big splash at the party’s annual meeting at a Northern Virginia hotel last month by renting out the entire restaurant to host a party — while most potential candidates rented suites.

Allen signed Virginia's concealed carry reform into law as Governor and has been a strong proponent of the right to keep and bear arms.  Webb carried some water on the Thune Amendment (National Reciprocity) in 2009.  But Webb voted for two of the most anti-gun Supreme Court nominees in recent memory.  Gun owners need to focus on the 2011 General Assembly races for now but 2012 is getting an early start none-the-less.