U.S. Senate Candidate George Allen Visits Manassas

Former U.S. Senator and Virginia Gov. George Allen and his wife, Susan, paid a visit to the Prince William County GOP Convention in Manassas at Stonewall Jackson High School Saturday, where he talked about the November election.

Allen said that Prince William County would play a pivotal role in the upcoming election.

He told the spirited crowd that when he was governor, he worked with Prince William County officials to spread the message that Virginia was, “open for business,” according to News and Messenger reports.

As U.S. Senator, he wants to send a message to the world that, “America is open for business,” Allen said on Saturday.

If he gets the U.S. Senate job, he wants to one day introduce legislation that would allow drilling for oil and gas off the Virginia coast. Virginians could then use the money from that to fund the state’s roads and transportation, Allen said.

Allen, who was in the U.S. Senate from 2000 until 2006, is running for the seat of Democrat Jim Webb, who isn’t seeking re-election this year. Webb defeated Allen for the U.S. Senate seat in 2006.

Allen also paid a visit to the Manassas Park Police Department Saturday and spoke with supporters and several local officers.

Allen called the officers he met,"tireless, dedicated and hardworking" in a Saturday blog post.

One of the Manassas Park Police officers commented on his “Truth in Sentencing” legislation, saying it was one of the most beneficial he’d encountered in all his career, Allen said.

Allen supporter, local historian and Manassas Park resident Dick Fischer said he was most honored when Allen wiped down a part of his car before placing a campaign bumper sticker on it.

“How humble, me standing there while the governor is shining my car,” Fischer said. “I also met the governor’s wife; she is a charming lady.”

Manassas Park Councilman Brian Leeper and former Councilman Ben Wren were among the Allen supporters present on Saturday.

“I’m glad he came, I think it made the police officers’ day to have him come,” Leeper said.

In addition to meeting the officers, the Allens also toured the entire state-of-the-art police facility which was completed less than five years ago.