New Twist in Senate Race in Virginia
2006-09-20
Source: New York Times
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rss feedThe turbulent re-election campaign of Senator George Allen took another unexpected turn Tuesday when Mr. Allen, a Virginia Republican, issued a statement confirming his Jewish ancestry.
"I embrace and take great pride in every aspect of my diverse heritage, including my Lumbroso family line's Jewish heritage, which I learned about from a recent magazine article and my mother confirmed," Mr. Allen said in a statement.
The issue was injected into the campaign on Monday in a debate with Mr. Allen's Democratic opponent, Jim Webb, when a panelist asked Mr. Allen, a former governor, if his mother was Jewish.
"To be getting into what religion my mother is, I don't think it's relevant," he responded angrily.
But the campaign, which had earlier found itself on the defensive over Mr. Allen's reference to a volunteer for Mr. Webb as "macaca," apparently decided to try to defuse the issue quickly by putting out a statement acknowledging his family ties.
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