Tim Kaine defeats George Allen in Virginia Senate race

Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) has defeated former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) in a hard-fought race for the Senate. 

Kaine led Allen by 51 to 49 percent with 88 percent of precincts reporting. Allen has conceded the race.

The Senate race was one of the most closely watched — and the most expensive — in the country. Kaine's win is the latest in a series of big Democratic victories in tight Senate races.

Kaine, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, ran as a centrist deal-maker and slammed Allen for past remarks against bipartisanship. Allen had zeroed in on Kaine's support of President Obama's policies and for a bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling that he said risked military jobs in the state.

The two well-known politicians were statistically tied in the polls for months, though Kaine had pulled slightly ahead in recent weeks.

---