Early editions of VA Sunday newspapers are reporting that GOP Senator George Allen leads Democrat (and ex-Republican and Navy Secretary) Jim Webb by 48% to 32% in the latest Mason-Dixon poll.

The Mason-Dixon poll is well respected and usually quite accurate. It shows that an unusually high one out of five VA voters are undecided. Other recent polls include one by Rasmussen which showed Allen with 50% and Webb at 39%, and a Zogby poll with Allen ahead 47%-37%.

Mason-Dixon managing director Bradford Coker said that Allen's
"support is below 50 percent - a sign of potential vulnerability.” But it could be also due to the summer time lack of attention to politics as well as voter confusion over longtime Republican and ex-Allen supporter Jim Webb's sudden election year conversion to the Democrat party. Webb recently praised President Ronald Reagan in a recent debate with Allen and has been criticized by some liberals for conservative stands on affirmative action and women in the military.

The poll shows Allen with more than 50% and big leads in the conservative Lynchburg/Southside Virginia area, the Shenandoah/Piedmont and the Richmond Metropolitan area. Allen also was ahead but below 50% in the swing areas of Hampton Roads-Norfolk and the Roanoke/Southwest Virginia region.

Webb was leading in only one area - the moderate-liberal Northern Virginia area, where Webb had support from 43 percent of voters compared to Allen’s 37 percent.

President Bush's lack of popularity had little or no affect on Allen's lead with most voters according to the poll. It showed that only 36 percent of voters are “less likely” to support Allen because he has supported Bush’s legislative agenda 90 percent of the time.

According to the poll, 22 percent of voters were “more likely” to support Allen because of this and 40 percent said Allen’s record would have “no effect” on their decision.