RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The latest issue in the nasty contest over Virginia's Senate seat is the torrid sex scenes in novels by Democratic challenger Jim Webb.
Webb, a former Republican and decorated Vietnam veteran who served as secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan, wrote three novels about the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
Sen. George Allen, a Republican, argues that the books, which include scenes of teenage sex and even incest, provide voters with a window into Webb's character. Webb argues that they are serious fiction, The Washington Post reported.
"How can women trust Jim Webb to represent their views in the Senate when chauvinistic attitudes and sexually exploitative references run throughout his fiction and non-fiction writings?" asked Kay James of Allen's campaign staff.
Allen was originally predicted to have an easy campaign for re-election, paving the way for a presidential bid in 2008. But the race is a close one, partly because of Allen's own missteps, including using an apparently racist epithet -- macaca -- to refer to a young man of Indian descent who was working for the Webb campaign.
