Chaos continues in final days of Senate race
2006-11-01
Source: Roanoke Times
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rss feedVirginia's already heated Senate race got even more intense on Tuesday when a heckler confronted Republican incumbent George Allen at a Charlottesville campaign event and was wrestled to the ground by campaign volunteers.
Mike Stark, a University of Virginia law student and Internet blogger, provoked the confrontation by asking Allen "inappropriate questions" following an Allen rally at the Charlottesville Omni hotel, Allen's campaign said. Allen was campaigning with his wife, Susan, and Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina.
Television footage of the incident showed three men wearing Allen lapel stickers shoving Stark away from the senator before one of the men tackled Stark to the floor. The dramatic scene is just the latest twist in a bitter and sometimes bizarre contest between Allen and Democrat James Webb.
In a press release, Allen's campaign alleged that Stark pushed a campaign staffer while trying to get to Allen. Stark was restrained by volunteers "when he approached the Senator a second time, asking inappropriate questions," according to the press release.
In an e-mail to reporters, Stark said he was attempting to ask about Allen's divorce from his first wife, among other things. Stark said he intended to press charges against the people who tackled him.
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