If this weekend is any judge, Republican George Allen is already in top campaign form. The former state delegate, governor and current candidate to reclaim his old Senate seat, met with approximately 140 enthusiastic supporters at the home of a Lorton resident on Saturday evening.

Fielding questions on foreign policy, the economy, health care and energy, Allen displayed command of the issues that matter to Tea Party conservatives. The event was organized by Tea Party Patriots for George Allen.

Allen’s sharpness comes from plenty of practice. Since the summer, he’s met with dozens of groups throughout Virginia, in settings similar to the one Saturday. Allen returned to private life for the first time in more than two decades when James Webb beat him by less than a percentage point in 2006.

While in the private sector, the issue that moved to the forefront of Allen’s platform was energy.

“It’s a national security issue,” he said. “It’s embarrassing and demeaning that Saudi Arabian princes can cause hard-working families to pay higher fuel bills.”

Since losing his seat to Webb, Allen’s attempt to get back the seat, which he made official last month, has been considered a formality in Virginia GOP circles.

However, the fact that Webb indicated that he will not seek re-election, does not necessarily mean Allen’s path will be any easier.

Speculation about who will run from the Democratic side has been rampant, with conjecture focused on former governor and present Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine.

But before Allen meets a Democrat in the general election, he must survive a potentially bruising primary. So far, only Tea Party Activist Jamie Radtke of Richmond has officially declared her candidacy, but with more than  a year remaining until the GOP primary, the potential exists for several other candidates to join the fray.

Regardless of who those candidates may be, Allen will have a decided advantage in fundraising and name recognition. However, the same could be said about other establishment candidates like himself across the country, who were defeated by Tea Party upstarts in the last election cycle.

While not running from his record, Allen’s remarks on Saturday were squarely aimed at proving his Tea Party bona fides. Judging from the response he received, he was successful. Allen made it clear he is sympathetic to Tea Party values and plans to consult their opinion for the duration of the campaign.

“What’s great about the Tea Party folks is that they’re knowledgeable about issues and they believe, like I do, that the constitution is the greatest invention in the history of mankind,” he said.

Alice Butler-Short, whose home served as the setting for the event, scoffed at the notion Allen was simply playing to the crowd.

“He is everything the Tea Party stands for. All of the principles and all of the values. We are basically constitutional conservatives. We revere the constitution and don’t want to see the country move away from it. And George Allen’s record shows that he believes that, too.”

Still, Allen’s biggest challenge, and that of the Virginia GOP, might be to get the famously independent-minded Tea Party to coalesce around him.

The difficulty of that task could be measured by comments about Allen in the conservative blogosphere.

Daniel Cortez, communications director of the Tea Party Patriots for George Allen, seems unconcerned by such mud-slinging.

“People that throw bombs in a campaign do so only because they have nothing else to say. They have no record, so they have to attack. It’s a common tactic,” Cortez said. “I’m with George Allen because he’ll take the high road.”

In an e-mail, John Jaggers, director of operations for the Northern Virginia Tea Party, made it clear Cortez does not speak for any Tea Party groups besides his own.

Jaggers went on to add the Northern Virginia Tea Party does not endorse candidates during primary election cycles. Further, “We seek to educate ourselves and fellow citizens on the proper role of government in our society. “

Jaggers’ said his group emphasizes issues over personalities and concerns about Allen in particular are only “To the degree that George Allen voted for policies leading to the fiscal crisis. Governor Allen will be challenged aggressively by all conservative constituencies, including the Tea Party.”

Meanwhile, Allen is attempting to stay above the in-fighting. He said he learned much from the last campaign, which was plagued by controversy and turned out to be his first election defeat since his initial foray into politics in 1979.

“It’s absolutely essential to stay focused on ideas and the agenda you’re running on,” Allen said.

For supporters like Butler-Short, that will do just fine.

“We can’t fool around this election,” she said. “We need candidates who can win. And George Allen can win.”