Dems Hopeful In Va. Senate Race

The national political season is nearing a fever pitch. Just six weeks before the November elections, Democrats believe they may have a real shot at regaining the upper hand on Capitol Hill.

They're taking aim at Senate seats they see as ripe for picking — winning six seats would put them back in control.

CBS News correspondent Joie Chen has the latest on the battle in Virginia that could decide the Senate's future.

Headed into this season, Virginia Sen. George Allen looked every bit his team's number one draft pick.

The son of an NFL hall of fame coach, he seemed a sure thing to win re-election this fall. A proven campaigner, Allen was already on the short list of GPP presidential contenders.

But that was before his infamous "Macaca" comment.

Allen was angry that a staffer for his opponent was videotaping Allen's campaign speech. So Allen turned to the camera, pointed to the staffer and said, "This fellow over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca or whatever his name is... let's give a welcome to Macaca here. Welcome to America."

The word Allen used to describe his opponent's staffer — Macaca — turns out to be a French racial slur. Allen insists he didn't know that — and apologized. But the video quickly became a sensation on the Internet — and plunged the senator's campaign into a tailspin.

And it doesn't end there.

At a debate Allen — a Christian — appeared flustered when asked about his mother's religious background.

"Could you please tell us whether your forbearers include Jews, and if so, at which point Jewish identity might have ended?" a reporter asked him.

Allen paused, the audience booed, and Allen said "You know what? I'm glad you all have that, you have that reaction... And to be getting in to what religion my mother is, I don't think is relevant. ... Oh and I'll say one other thing. Preserving our foundational values, and one of those values is freedom of religion and not making aspersions about people because of their religious beliefs."

Turns out Allen had only recently learned about his Jewish heritage. While he now says he's proud of his roots, University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato says Allen's campaign hasn't recovered.

"He suggested to people through his actions that he was embarrassed about being Jewish. So he took a potential plus, he turned it into a minus, and it's another embarrassing moment from his campaign," says Sabato.

And an opportunity for his opponent. Since the "Macaca" incident, the gap between Allen and Democrat Jim Webb has closed from 12 points to just 4.

Smelling blood, Democrats launched their biggest "rock stars" to campaign with Webb — and moved him into the "top tier" of their "could win" candidates.

"He had a couple mistakes," says Webb, "and I think the mistakes actually illuminated what we're doing because a lot of people start paying attention to the race."

Now Allen is on a run — not just to hang on to his senate seat, but to be a player in the big game: the 2008 presidential race.