Independent mulls ending Senate bid

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Virginia Senate candidate Glenda "Gail" Parker, an independent attracting less than 2 percent of the vote, said yesterday she may withdraw from the race and back either Sen. George Allen or James H. Webb Jr.

Miss Parker, who mostly focused on securing funds for rail projects, told the Associated Press yesterday her campaign has asked Mr. Allen to commit to new funding for train systems and to swiftly install a new accounting system at the Pentagon.

"We are trying to negotiate the best deal to get high-speed rail in Virginia immediately or as soon as possible," she said, adding her campaign had asked for similar discussions Mr. Webb.

Her withdrawal would free up one or two percent of voters in the Nov. 7 election, which has further tightened.

A new statewide poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports showed yesterday that Mr. Allen, a Republican, would beat Mr. Webb, a Democrat, by one point.

If the elections were held today, Mr. Allen would receive 49 percent of the vote and Mr. Webb would get 48 percent, according to a telephone survey taken Tuesday night of 500 likely voters. The poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

The results were provided to The Washington Times yesterday.

The razor-thin difference between Mr. Allen and Mr. Webb mirrors many other polls that show the men neck and neck and with Mr. Allen's lead within the margin of error.

The results show more voters are making up their mind with just over a week until Election Day.

Rasmussen's last survey, taken Oct. 12, showed 47 percent of voters favoring Mr. Allen and 44 percent favoring Mr. Webb.

In the latest Rasmussen poll, two percent were undecided while one percent favored another candidate. Most other polls show Miss Parker attracting less than two percent of the vote.

If Miss Parker withdraws from the race, her name still will appear on the ballot under the Independent Green Party's banner. She is not associated with the Green Party, of the Ralph Nader fame, whose members usually champion environmental and social justice causes.

Miss Parker, a former Pentagon budget analyst and Air Force Reserve officer who goes by "Gail for Rail," was campaigning as a fiscal conservative and said she wants to shrink the deficit and advocate for a national network of high-speed rail.

Miss Parker said she had not committed to withdrawing from the race and that she had set no timetable for deciding whether to back either candidate.

The Virginia election is one of three Senate races being closely watched for its national implications. The other races are in Tennessee and Missouri. Whichever party wins two of the three states is likely to control the Senate.

Yesterday, Mr. Allen spent the day greeting voters in Roanoke, and today he plans to campaign in Shenandoah Valley, rallying supporters of traditional marriage.

Mr. Webb toured Southwest Virginia on a plane with former Gov. Mark Warner yesterday. Earlier this week, he received an endorsement from Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, who also was the nation's first black governor.

Mr. Webb yesterday got the endorsement of the Richmond Free Press, a black newspaper serving Central Virginia. Mr. Allen has the endorsement of the Richmond Voice, another black newspaper.

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.