ALLEN WRENCH – AT 7:07 P.M. ET:  George Allen, former governor and senator, is reportedly about to get back into Virginia electoral politics, and could shake things up.  From The Politico:

Former Sen. George Allen will end weeks of speculation and formally declare his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Virginia on Monday, two Republican advisers tell POLITICO.

Allen, who has been making all the moves of a candidate in recent weeks, is expected to blast an e-mail to supporters with a video message before alerting the media.

The announcement comes as no surprise. The former governor and senator has been making all the moves of a candidate in recent weeks, touring the state to champion a repeal of the health care law, quietly reaching out to state lawmakers and seeking advice from those who guided his earliest campaigns.

In another sign an announcement is imminent, on Sunday evening, the homepage of Allen’s website read simply: “Stay Tuned.”

The incumbent Democrat, whose term is up next year, has not indicated if he'll run for a second term:

Allen’s Monday announcement comes before Democratic Sen. Jim Webb’s own decision about running for a second term. Webb, who bested Allen by fewer than 10,000 votes in 2006, has been silent about a reelection campaign, leaving even some of his closest supporters wondering what he’ll do.

Allen was seen as a sure thing for releection in 2006, and a potential Republican presidential candidate, until his Senate campaign was derailed when he used what some called an ethnic slur.  He handled the incident poorly, and often was off message for the rest of the campaign.

Webb is a moderate Democrat who seems out of place in his own party.  Virginia, which was drifting Democratic a few years ago, returned decidedly to the GOP column in the most recent election.

It is expected that Allen will have primary competition from a Tea Party supporter, and that should not be underestimated.  Should Webb decline to seek a second term, political observers expect that former Governor Tim Kaine will run for the Democratic nomination.

January 23, 2011