Virginia GOP Senate Race to Be Rough in 2012

Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb will have an uphill fight for re-election and may even retire to avoid a battering race. So it’s no wonder that the GOP appears headed for a hotly contested primary to replace him, The Hill reports

Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, looks like he’s gearing up for a run. And Stewart is expected to face former Sen. and Gov. George Allen in the GOP primary.

Stewart is playing up his opposition to illegal immigration and has launched some criticism at Allen. "I think he'd be hard-pressed to make the statement that he was an effective senator," as Allen didn’t accomplish much, Stewart told The Hill. He labeled Allen part of "the do-nothing Republicans who tarnished the Republican brand and were punished by voters in 2006 and 2008." But Stewart did say that Allen was "a great governor."