Controversies of the 2006 United States Senate election in Virginia
The controversies of the 2006 United States Senate election in Virginia involved both Republican incumbent senator George Allen and Democratic opponent Jim Webb. However, a majority of these controversies negatively impacted Allen and are believed to have contributed to his defeat in the November election. Allen's Barr Labs investment On August 8, 2006, it was reported that Allen, who opposes abortion rights, owned stock in Barr Laboratories, maker of the Plan B "morning-after pill", an emergency contraceptive intended to prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of intercourse. The Webb campaign criticized Allen for holding stock in a company that makes a product that many of his supporters oppose. Allen responded by saying that he holds the stock because Barr Labs has created jobs in Virginia, and by pointing to his consistently anti-abortion voting record. Allen has no plans to sell the stock. Allen's macaca controversy On August 11, 2006, George Allen twice called S.R. Sidarth, a 20-year-old Webb campaign volunteer, macaca. Sidarth is of Indian ancestry, but was born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia. As a "tracker" for the opposing Webb campaign, Sidarth was filming an Allen campaign stop in Breaks, Virginia, near the Kentucky border. During a