Virginia: Former Gov. Linwood Holton Lends Name for Tim Kaine

(Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Democratic Senate candidate Tim Kaine distributed a fundraising appeal Monday from former Gov. Linwood Holton (R).

As the subject line states, Kaine is Holton’s son-in-law. But Holton, who was governor in the early 1970s, says he is backing Kaine because “we need people who will roll up their sleeves and focus on getting things done instead of fighting over everything all the time.”

Kaine is running against fellow former Gov. George Allen (R) in a race Roll Call rates as a Tossup.

“Tim is a great leader and a great guy — and he also happens to be married to my daughter Anne!” Holton says in the email, which asks for a contribution of $5 or more before Saturday’s fundraising deadline.

Virginia: George Allen First on TV in Senate Race

Updated 12 p.m. | George Allen, the former Virginia governor and Senator running to reclaim his former seat on Capitol Hill, launched the first two TV ads of the highly competitive open-seat race.

Largely out of the spotlight since his upset re-election loss in 2006, the ads focus solely on Allen’s character as the campaign works to reacquaint voters with him. There is nothing in the ads about his past work; policy stances; his opponent, former Gov. Tim Kaine (D); or President Barack Obama, all of which Allen often mentions on the stump.

Virginia: Tim Kaine, George Allen to Participate in Forum

Former Govs. Tim Kaine (D) and George Allen (R) are scheduled to participate in a town hall forum at Microsoft’s offices in Reston next week.

According to a joint announcement by the Northern Virginia Technology Council and Microsoft, the Senate candidates will appear separately at the June 28 event to provide remarks and answer questions from a panel of business leaders related to their views on technology and business policy. They will also answer questions from the audience.

Roll Call rates the race as a Tossup.

New American Crossroads Ads Target Six States

American Crossroads is targeting six Senate races in a new round of television ads set to hit the airwaves today.

The Republican super PAC and its nonprofit arm, Crossroads GPS, has invested a combined $4.6 million in this buy, set to run statewide on broadcast and cable television in Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio and Virginia. Except for Nevada, all of the seats are held by Democrats and considered top Republican pickup targets.

The spots include three attack ads from American Crossroads that are worth $2.6 million and critical of the Democratic nominees in Nebraska, Nevada and Virginia. The three issue ads from Crossroads GPS are running in Missouri, North Dakota and Ohio and focus on spending, debt and President Barack Obama’s health care law.

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Virginia: George Allen Wins GOP Senate Primary

Former Sen. George Allen casts his vote today in northern Virginia. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

Updated: 9:40 p.m. | Former Sen. George Allen easily won the Virginia Senate Republican primary today, putting him one step closer to reclaiming the seat he lost in 2006.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Allen led with 65 percent, followed by tea party leader Jamie Radtke with 23 percent, state Del. Bob Marshall with 7 percent and minister E.W. Jackson with 5 percent. Full story

Virginia: Eric Cantor, Bob McDonnell Hit the Trail for George Allen

Former Sen. George Allen (far right) is expected to win Tuesday's four-way GOP Senate primary in Virginia. But he's still getting some last-minute help on the campaign trail. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

George Allen is heavily favored to win Tuesday’s Republican primary in the Virginia Senate race, but the former governor and Senator is bringing out the state’s top GOP surrogates on Saturday to help him secure the nomination.

Allen will be joined on the trail by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) for a Saturday morning get-out-the-vote event in Rockville, which is in Hanover County just outside of Richmond. That afternoon, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) will appear with Allen in Virginia Beach. Full story

Virginia: Jamie Radtke Going On TV Ahead of Tuesday’s Primary

(Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Updated 3:46 p.m. | Virginia Senate candidate Jamie Radtke will be on statewide TV in the days leading up to Tuesday’s Republican primary, the tea party leader said today.

“We’re shocking everybody, including the media,” Radtke told Roll Call.

Radtke is a heavy underdog against George Allen, a former governor and Senator who is expected to advance and take on former Gov. Tim Kaine (D) in the general. But she says her support has surged since last month’s second of three GOP debates. Full story

Virginia: Tim Kaine Purchases $2.5M in Fall Airtime, Outraises George Allen

Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine announced a TV ad buy for his Senate race. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine purchased $2.5 million in fall TV time for his blockbuster Senate race with fellow former Gov. George Allen.

The campaign announced the buy today along with its pre-primary fundraising. From April 1 to May 23, Kaine outraised Allen by about $450,000, raising more than $1.2 million to Allen’s $751,000. Full story

Study: Democrats Must Win Moderates to Hold Senate

In a study that could annoy Democrats and perturb proponents of the “base election” theory, a centrist Democratic think tank is arguing that its party’s hold on the Senate hinges on political “moderates.”

Third Way, in a report set for release today, asserts not only that ideological moderates will determine control of the Senate in November, but that Democrats need to win more of these voters in 10 states with tossup Senate contests than do the Republicans. The think tank crunched exit polling data from recent presidential and midterm elections and concluded that Democrats face a significant challenge in their bid to retain their thin, four-seat Senate majority.

“Crucially for Democrats, they must garner a majority of moderates in nine of 10 toss-ups to win, and in seven of those the bar is even higher — Democrats must clear 60 percent [of moderates] to win,” Third Way policy advisers Michelle Diggles and Lanae Erickson write in the think tank’s report.

Third Way classifies 10 Senate races as Tossup; Roll Call currently rates eight races as Tossup.

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Tim Kaine: Barack Obama Link a Wash Politically

(Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

Tim Kaine thinks the Senate and presidential races in Virginia are as close as most recent polls have shown and conceded his political fate is closely tied to the performance of his good friend in the White House.

Kaine spoke with reporters today in Washington, D.C., at a breakfast hosted by the Democratic-leaning think tank Third Way, three days after rallying a Richmond crowd to help kick off President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. The Senate candidate and former Virginia governor said there will undoubtedly be a “strong linkage” in the results of the presidential race and Kaine’s expected matchup with Republican George Allen. Full story

DSCC Reserves Airtime in Three Key States

In its first television advertising reservation for the fall, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee reserved $14.1 million in Missouri, Montana and Virginia — three states Democrats are looking to hold as they seek to preserve their four-seat Senate majority.

As the Hotline first reported, the DSCC reserved $7.4 million in Virginia, $3.5 million in Missouri and $3.2 million in Montana. The Virginia and Missouri reservations are for Oct. 9 to Nov. 5, and the Montana reservation is from Aug. 28 to Nov. 5, Roll Call confirmed with a Democratic source. Full story

Virginia: Majority PAC Follows Crossroads GPS On the Air

The airwaves are heating up in what could be among the nation’s biggest 2012 battlegrounds.

A Democratic-aligned outside group announced today it is going on the air in the Senate race, targeting former Virginia Sen. George Allen. The ad comes one week after a GOP-aligned outside group took on Allen’s opponent, former Gov. Tim Kaine. Full story

Ron Johnson Endorsing, Stumping for George Allen Today

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson today will endorse and later appear alongside former Sen. George Allen, who is running to win back his former seat in Virginia.

The Republicans will hold a small-business roundtable this afternoon at Bill’s Barbecue, a Richmond institution that recently closed five of its eight area locations, according to local reports. Johnson, who was recently tasked with coordinating Senate Republicans’ messaging, ran his own business for three decades before being elected to the Senate in 2010. Full story

Virginia: Tim Kaine Skipping Shad Planking

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) will not attend Wednesday’s Shad Planking, the state’s largest annual political event.

According to a schedule released by his campaign, Kaine will instead attend an economic roundtable with female business and community leaders near Richmond at the time of the event. He’ll attend another roundtable event with veterans and military families in Norfolk earlier in the day and hold a tele-town hall Wednesday evening. Full story

NRSC Places $25 Million Ad Reservation for Fall Campaign

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn is trying to win back the majority this fall. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

The Senate GOP’s campaign arm reserved approximately $25 million in airtime today in six targeted Senate races — an early and aggressive move for a party looking to regain the majority.

The broadcast, cable and radio buy comes several months before the campaign committees’ independent expenditure arms typically start to reserve air time for the post-Labor Day campaign advertisement blitz.

“This is our first buy, not our last. But this foundation does ensure we will be heard through various channels as the electorate decides who they are going to vote for,” a National Republican Senatorial Committee official told Roll Call. Full story