Former Sen. George Allen announced Thursday that he has hired longtime former aide Mike Thomas to manage his comeback campaign in Virginia.

Thomas, who is currently a senior vice president at McGuireWoods Consulting, previously was Allen’s chief of staff and state director during the Republican’s one term in the Senate. Thomas’ ties to the former Senator go all the way back to Allen’s 1993 gubernatorial bid, which he managed.

“Mike is a trusted friend who Susan and I feel blessed to have once again as a proven leader of our team,” Allen said in a statement announcing the hire. “Mike has the necessary experience and personal knowledge of Virginia, its people, and our values to lead our grassroots insurgency. His addition makes our team even stronger, and together we will build a campaign focused on bringing Virginia’s voices, views and values back to the U.S. Senate.”
 
A graduate of the University of Richmond, Thomas has also served as first vice chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia for the past 15 years.

Allen is running to try to win back the Senate seat he lost to now-Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) in 2006. Webb is not running for another term in 2012, and Democrats are awaiting a decision from former Gov. Tim Kaine about whether he will enter the race.

As we reported earlier Thursday, Kaine is not expected to make an announcement this weekend when he attends an event honoring former Rep. Rick Boucher (D) in Southwest Virginia.