I don't think it tarnished him.
Kilgore wasn't attached to Allen's hip as Kaine was to Warner's.
Warner's future rested on getting his successor elected.
And Warner bowed out of the Senate race in 2006, I don't think Allen will have any serious challenge.
James Webb, Reagan's Navy Secretary, has been talking about running as a conservative Democrat. I don't know how much of a challenge he'd give Allen, but he's the type who might do well in VA. The Democrats appear to be serious about trying to figure out how to win in the South again.