Following a Senate debate in Fairfax on Sept. 20, Democratic candidate Tim Kaine posed a rhetorical question.

“Who would be undecided now? People know me and they know George Allen,” Kaine told a batch of reporters.

And while there are sure to be a few undecided voters still hiding in the woodwork, there’s logic to Kaine’s statement. No Senate race across the country offers up candidates with such lengthy and high-profile curriculum vitaes.

Both Kaine and Allen served as governors of Virginia, from 1994-1998 and 2006-1010, respectively. Allen went on to hold the Senate seat he’s currently fighting to regain from 2000-2006.

The Republican’s campaign, however, has referenced more of their candidate’s days in Richmond than when he was in the Senate. Allen narrowly lost the seat to Sen. Jim Webb, who isn’t seeking re-election this year.

Kaine got his political start in Richmond, serving first on the city council then as mayor. During his tenure as the commonwealth’s CEO, he also served for a year as the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Allen’s record from his gubernatorial term includes instituting higher academic standards, reforming welfare and eliminating the state’s lenient parole system.

In line with conservatives across the nation, Allen has focused his campaign message on jobs and the economy. During the Fairfax debate, he found ways to bring nearly every answer back to the economy – even those on gay marriage and class warfare. 

The Republican wants to see a balanced-budget amendment in the Constitution, as well as simpler tax code, including the option for an individual flat tax.

On Medicare, which has played a critical role in the presidential race, Allen has called for substantial overhauls to keep the program from going broke.

Allen has also been steadfast in his opposition to President Barack Obama’s new health care law. Allen said the measure has led to less hiring, more uncertainty and will cause an eventual tax increase on the middle-class.

“I do think it ought to be repealed and it ought to be replaced,” Allen said at the debate, before noting that he agreed with the provision that allows young adults to stay on their parent’s insurance policies until they’re 26.

He often proposes individual health savings accounts as one option to help families deal with rising health costs.

Allen has held firm in his opposition to raising taxes under any circumstances. In a July debate, he said he wouldn’t raise taxes $1 even if it was matched with $10 in spending cuts.

Allen speaks often about unleashing America’s array of energy sources and says he touts an “all-of-the above” energy policy. 

Both candidates have used the “all-of-above” line. Allen tends to talk more about Virginia’s coal industry and opening up the state’s shoreline for oil exploration, while Kaine has focused more on “green” energy, though still recognizing the need for cheap sources like coal.

The Kaine campaign has used some of Allen’s experience against him, pointing to his votes allowing for the debt ceiling to be raised, as well as voting to increase his own pay.

The Democrat has made compromise a prime aspect of his campaign. Unlike Allen, Kaine believes the federal budget woes need to be solved with a mix of spending cuts and increased revenues. He has suggested pairing every $3 in spending cuts with $1 in new revenue. Kaine said he wants to see the Bush tax cuts expire on those making more than $500,000, alter Medicare by allowing more negotiation for prescription drug prices and eliminate tax subsidies from the “big five oil” companies.

“What you then end up with is not a trillion dollar problem, you end up with a $235 billion problem,” Kaine said in Fairfax. “Over 10 years, you can find that savings.”

Kaine grabbed headlines following the debate for his comment that he’d be open to a proposal for a minimum federal income tax. While Allen and Republican pundits quickly harped on the remark, the minimum tax wasn’t introduced by Kaine; rather it was an idea advanced by the debate moderator, NBC’s David Gregory.

In the spirit of compromise, Kaine said he’d be open to various proposals to strengthen the economy and draw down the federal deficit.

Kaine has supported Obama’s health care law, though he’s admitted certain “fixes are necessary.”

An array of attack ads from outside political action groups have attempted to paint Kaine as a rubber stamp for President Barack Obama’s policies. Some observers have questioned that negative approach from conservatives, given the relatively strong economy in Virginia compared with other states. Virginia’s 5.9 percent unemployment rate from August is well below the national figure of 8.1 percent.

While Kaine hasn’t backed away from his support of the Democratic president, he said one of his first actions in the Senate – if he’s elected – will be to reach out to a new Republican Senator to strike a partnership on issues he’s passionate about, namely education and the “talent economy.”

A key issue for many residents of the commonwealth, especially in Northern Virginia, is the looming across-the-board federal budget cuts, or sequestration. Given the region’s strong ties to the federal government, especially the defense industry, sequestration has been estimated to cost Virginia between 100,000 and 200,000 jobs if Congress doesn’t strike a deal to avoid the cuts.

Allen has criticized Kaine for saying the sequestration deal was necessary. Not striking a deal to begin reducing the deficit was likely to lead to a major credit downgrade following the nation’s debt-ceiling debate, some analysts claimed.

Kaine has pushed his budget plan – expiring a portion of the Bush tax cuts, negotiating prescription drug costs and ending “big oil” subsidies – as a start in avoiding the so-called “fiscal cliff.” Allen hasn’t put forward a specific plan to avoid the cuts.

Until recently, polling numbers showed Virginia’s Senate race a virtual dead heat, with neither candidate taking more than a couple-percent lead. Kaine in mid- to late-September gained slight momentum; the latest figures from Real Clear Politics, which averages several prominent polls, show Kaine with a 3 percent lead.

The Kaine-Allen race will also play a significant role in deciding whether the Democrats maintain a majority in the upper house of Congress.