Today, former Senator George Allen is expected to announce his intention to run against the man who beat him six years ago — Jim Webb. Of course it remains uncertain whether Webb will even run again.

I have met George Allen a number of times, like him tremendously, but I have personally decided to support Jamie Radtke for the Senate. Once someone has been beaten, I tend to think we need not run them again for the same seat. Republicans have a habit of doing that and, at this time, I think we need some fresh faces. He is, however, a great guy and I certainly don’t intend to knock him on the front page of RedState.

Beyond me though, former Senator Allen is going to have to address some serious problems other than the disastrous campaign waged in 2006 (he may need to talk about that too). Those problems are, put succinctly, his voting record, which is out of step with most of the grassroots activists engaged in Republican primaries today. I’m already getting lots of emails about this and, frankly, most people just want some accounting from Allen.

But during his one term in the U.S. Senate, some Republicans complain, he backed President George W. Bush’s proposals to increase spending; supported No Child Left Behind, a costly program to create a national education report card; favored a federal program to subsidize the costs of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries; and voted to expand the Hate Crimes Prevention Act to include crimes based on sexual orientation.

There was also the vote for the debt limit, the flip-flop into support of ethanol, gun control issues, the morning after pill controversy, and, perhaps most troublesome to tea party activists, the money he took from Freddie Mac concurrent to his refusing to push for government sponsored enterprise (“GSE”) reform.

I wish former Senator Allen well and hope he will be able to address these issues — issues which are, for the most part, at the core of the tea party movement. I’d also encourage you to take a look at Jamie Radtke. This race may be the big grassroots vs. party establishment race of 2012 and a test of the tea party’s continued momentum.

I wish both candidates well.