Former Sen. Allen to seek Webb's Senate seat next year

Former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) on Monday will announce a bid to regain the Senate seat he lost to Democrat Jim Webb in 2006.

Allen, who has been laying the groundwork for another campaign for months, will make his run official in a message to supporters, according to a Republican source with knowledge of Allen's decision. 

It sets up what could be a rematch of one of the hardest-fought Senate races of the 2006 cycle, pitting Allen against the man who ousted him that year, Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.). 

Webb has not yet made his reelection plans known, and there's speculation the first-term Democrat could opt to bow out ahead of 2012. He has yet to kick his fundraising or political operation into high gear, causing concern among some Virginia Democrats about his reelection prospects. 

Allen lost by fewer than 10,000 votes in 2006 after a nasty campaign highlighted by a gaffe that likely cost him the race. Allen was caught on tape referring to a Webb campaign staffer as "macaca," a moment that placed the race firmly in the national spotlight. It also sank Allen's rising political star. 

Allen was thought to have the inside track for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 before losing his Senate seat in 2006.

No matter what Webb decides, Allen is certain to face a GOP primary. Tea Party activist Jamie Radtke has already jumped into the race on the Republican side, and Prince William County Supervisor Corey Stewart and Virginia Del. Bob Marshall could also get in. 

Given that the party will select its nominee in a primary rather than a convention next year, Allen will be the odds-on favorite thanks to his fundraising ability and high name ID.