I live in CA and have been following George Allen's career for many years. He was a popular governor and would have been reelected if not for the consecutive-term law that VA has. He will be a senator for as long as he likes...he could even run for governor again and win. Name recognition? Doesn't mean a thing. From what I hear, he's putting together a decent team...his name recognition factor will improve if he decides to push forward with a presidential run...he has the charisma and gravitas to make it happen. Allen could very well be the GOP's brightest hope in '08. He has the advantage of being from a southern state and he also has the necessary intangibles to appeal to voters in the other non-southern red states. Frist just doesn't seem to be able to cut it...not enough intangibles and charisma to capture the imagination of the voters who will decide who the GOP nominee will be.
Didn't George Allen defeat Chuck Robb to win his Senate seat?