2006 Virginia Senate Race
See also: United States Senate election in Virginia, 2006 and Controversies of the United States Senate election in Virginia, 2006The failed re-election campaign of Republican U.S. Senator George Allen of Virginia generated much controversy after he used the word macaca in reference to an Indian American. On August 11, 2006, at a campaign stop in Breaks, Virginia, near the Kentucky border, George Allen twice used the word macaca to refer to S. R. Sidarth, who was filming the event as a "tracker" for the opposing Jim Webb campaign. Prior to this, the term was almost completely unknown in the U.S.
This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent... Let's give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia. —George AllenSidarth is of Indian ancestry, but was born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia. Allen's mother, born Sarah Lumbroso, is of French Tunisian descent and commentators have suggested that she may have learned the pejorative during her childhood and introduced it to her son. Even though Allen claimed that he made up the word and said that he did not understand its derogatory meaning, a media outcry erupted following his use of the term. After two weeks of negative publicity, Allen publicly apologized for his statement and asserted that he in no way intended those words to be offensive.
The term "Macacawitz", referring to the September 2006 discovery of Allen's Jewish heritage, was coined by conservative pundit John Podhoretz as a headline for a post in the National Review blog "The Corner". A field organizer for Democratic Congressional candidate Al Weed resigned after she used the term in email to supporters of Weed.
The controversy created by Allen's use of the term contributed to his unexpected loss to Webb.
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