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Narr: Last night, Republican George Allen held his final rally among his conservative base in Richmond, Virginia - the usually Republican-leaning
State capital. Allen's closing speech was laced with references to traditional conservative values.
Ax: We need lower taxes and more jobs rather than higher taxes and more
dictates from Washington, DC. (Applause)
Narr: LOWER TAXES AND SMALL GOVERNMENT ARE POPULAR
THEMES IN RICHMOND. BUT 100 MILES TO THE NORTH, IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, WHERE ALLEN'S OPPONENT JIM WEBB HELD HIS FINAL CAMPAIGN EVENT LAST NIGHT, VOTERS LOOK INCREASINGLY TO GOVERNMENT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS ARISING FROM THE REGION'S OVERCROWDING.
Ax: It sounds kind of trivial but Northern Virginia is becoming kind of
unmanageable.
NARR: BILL QUANDT, WHO FIGHTS NORTHERN VIRGINIA'S CONGESTED ROADS ON HIS FREQUENT COMMUTE INTO WASHINGTON, SAYS THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL ISSUE IN CITIES LIKE ALEXANDRIA IS TRANSPORTATION.
Ax: An awful number of people are really annoyed that in their daily lives they
are spending an hour, hour and a half on the roads. It's ridiculous.
NARR4: ALEXANDRIA IS ONE OF THE BOOMING VIRGINIA SUBURBS OF WASHINGTON D.C., HOME TO SOME OF THE state's most educated, affluent residents. THESE NORTHERN VIRGINIA SUBURBS ARE MORE racially and politically diverse than the TRADITIONAL RURAL VIRGINIA COUNTIES TO THEIR SOUTH. Richmond-Times Dispatch reporter Robert Shapiro explains.
Ax: Northern Virginia has grown exponentially and has had a massive effect on
the state's direction - however downstate Virginia tends to be
more moderate if not more conservative and the friction is not unlike the
friction between say New York and upstate.
Narr5: This is especially evident in the debate over a constitutional
amendment to ban gay marriage that appeared on the Virginia ballot today.
According to a poll taken by the Washington Post three weeks ago, residents of Northern Virginia opposed the ban by a thirteen-point margin. The rest of the state supported the amendment by over twenty points. THAT'S A CONCERN FOR traditional conservative voters like Reverend William Carter of Richmond.
Ax: That makes me a little nervous. There seems to be a transition
toward more liberal values, in Virginia so we're going to have to fight
it.we're going to have to fight to win it.
Narr6: Both INCUMBENT ALLEN AND HIS CHALLENGER, WEBB, have focused their campaign strategy on Northern Virginia, which accounts for one third of today's votes. And the results tonight will reveal the full impact of the changing demographics of the district on Virginia politics. Although Webb and Allen both voted in their local counties, they are awaiting results with their respective bases
- Webb is in suburban Washington and Allen is in downtown Richmond.
Bilal Qureshi, Columbia Radio News