Again.
One might think so.
The visibility of the former Senator and Governor has been far higher during the past three or four months than at any time since 2006.
He actively campaigned for the statewide ticket in the fall. He joined with Paul Goldman to promote a plan to fund construction of inner city schools. And yesterday he held a press conference to tell folks what’s wrong with the Democrats’ health care plan.
Looks like someone who is enjoying getting back in the mix.
Allen is still very well liked by Virginia Republicans, most of whom think that while he may have made some mistakes in ‘06, he was also the target of a media hit.
Allen genuinely likes the back and forth of political debate and has a real interest in public policy.
And he is by nature a very competitive guy- you couldn’t grow up in his family without being so.
While I don’t think that he’s reached any real decision yet, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him return (at some time) to the electoral arena.
But when and where?
Here are three possibilities.
He could consider a national run in 2012. While most pundits seem to believe that the “macaca moment” permanently disqualified him, we’ve seen comebacks that have been even more of a longshot. Allen’s on nobody’s short list right now, but you might look for him to maintain some national visibility while the GOP begins to consider who might have a serious shot.
A rematch with Jim Webb in 2012 is also a possibility. But this may be the least desirable option for Allen himself. I could certainly imagine that he’d like to defeat the person who unseated him. But I’m not so sure that he’s very eager to return to the Senate and the glacial pace of its deliberations.
Recently, there’s speculation that Allen might consider seeking the GOP nod for Governor in 2013. This is a job that he truly enjoyed and is far more suited to his personality and skills than a Senate position.
But there are a number of obstacles here.
Alen has not been the kind of political figure who seeks or relishes fights within his own party and it is hard to imagine that he would work to undermine Bill Bolling, who truly helped the party by not seeking the gubernatorial nomination this year.
At the moment, Allen appears to be taking not a “wait and see” attitude, but a “get involved and see” stance.
See if he himself really has the fire for another electoral push.
And see what opportunities might arise, knowing full well that
Unpredictability is the only constant in politics today.
I’m not certain where the Allen return is likely to wind up.
But his enthusiam, his feistiness and his willingness to take on big issues could make politics in the Commonwealth a lot more interesting in the next few years.
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