U.S. Sen. George Allen of Virginia kicked off one of the biggest weekends of the year for South Carolina Republicans on Friday night, promising major gains for the party in the 2004 general election.

Allen, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, predicted the GOP would pick up the seat now held by Democrat Fritz Hollings, who is retiring after nearly 40 years of service.

Allen was in town to address the S.C. GOP’s annual Silver Elephant Gala, the party’s premier fund-raising event.

The party was expected to raise $500,000. More than 1,300 party activists paid between $25 and $10,000 for a table.

Allen said that other than Georgia, where Democrats have been unable to recruit a candidate for the Senate, South Carolina offers Republicans their best hope.

“The open Senate seat in South Carolina is a great opportunity for Republicans this year,” he said in an interview.

S.C. GOP chairman Katon Dawson called Allen a crucial player in the Senate race here.

Much is at stake in this year’s Senate election.

Democrats need a net gain of only one or two seats to win control of the Senate: one seat if voters elect a Democrat as vice president, who breaks ties in the Senate; and two seats if they elect a Republican.

Republicans have controlled the Senate for all but 18 months of the last decade.

Though they still are the underdogs, the Democrats’ prospects in the South seem much less dismal than they did earlier, especially in the Palmetto State.

Six candidates are seeking the GOP nomination in the state’s June 8 primary. They are former Gov. David Beasley, U.S. Rep. Jim DeMint, Charleston real estate developer Thomas Ravenel, former state Attorney General Charlie Condon, Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride and Bluffton businesswoman Orly Benny Davis.

Most experts favor Republicans in the Senate race for now, but that could change. The possibility of a contentious primary could jeopardize Republican chances here.

Allen calls it an “intra-aquad scrimmage.” But he said he is confident S.C. Republicans will rally behind the eventual nominee and go on to victory in November.

State Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum, the leading Democratic candidate for the S.C. seat, is encouraged by a recent internal survey taken by her pollster, Harrison Hickman. In head-to-head matchups against three of the candidates — Beasley, Condon and DeMint — she holds leads, outside the margin of error.

The survey was taken March 14-18 of 700 likely voters. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Allen said he would be shocked if the Democrats won the seat. The issues favor the Republicans in this conservative state, he said.

Allen is the son of the famous NFL coach of the same name and former governor of Virginia.

His wife, Susan, is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.

The gala was held in honor of the five Republican members in the state’s congressional delegation.

The evening also featured a tribute to former President Reagan, who was the first speaker at the first Silver Elephant Gala 37 years ago.

The S.C. Republican State Convention, held every two years, convenes today at the old Carolina Coliseum. Gov. Mark Sanford will deliver the keynote address. About 2,000 delegates and alternates will elect state party officers and pick delegates to the Republican National Convention in New York in August.

Reach Bandy at (803) 771-8648 or lbandy@thestate.com