George Allen on Principles & Values Republican Senate Challenger

Recently discovered he has Jewish heritage

The Allen campaign opened the door to the question by not providing answers to the Jewish newspaper the Forward, which reported late last month that Allen’s mother, Henrietta, a French Tunisian, was “likely” Jewish by birth. A week earlier, the senator’s staff said they were not familiar with any Jewish background.

The senator’s mother got dragged into public discussion because of speculation that Allen had picked up the word “macaca” from her. Allen has apologized for using the word -- a racial slur in some cultures -- to describe an Indian American volunteer for Webb’s campaign.

Raised Christian with Jewish ancestry; religion not relevant

(Booing from the audience)

A: I’m glad you all have that reaction. You know what our first freedom in this country was? Freedom of religion. To be getting into what religion my mother is, I’d like to ask you, why is that relevant?

Q: Honesty.

A: My mother’s French-Italian, with a little Spanish blood in her. And I was raised as she was, as far as I know, raised as a Christian. My mother’s father was incarcerated by the Nazis in World War II. And of all people in my life who told me about tolerance and not judging people by their religious beliefs or their ethnicity or their race, it is my mother.

Conservative alternative to McCain in presidential jockeying

Calls himself “Common sense” conservative populist

Voted YES on confirming Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justice.

Voted YES on confirming John Roberts for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.