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Virgil H. Goode Jr., a Republican from Rocky Mount who represented the 5th District in Congress for six terms, has joined the conservative Constitution Party - but he says that doesn’t mean he’s quitting the GOP. “I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive,” Goode said. Goode was the keynote speaker the Constitution Party’s spring National Committee banquet Friday in Minneapolis. At the event, Goode paid the party’s $35 membership fee. Goode said that he has not quit the Republican Party and is current on his membership dues with the Franklin County GOP.

I'm just sending out a feeler about Perriello. I'm considering a weekly Perriello ping unless someone is doing something like that already. BTW, he voted for Obama-care. [And yes, I live in this district. But DC and world news have had practically all my political attention.] Just for background [not quotable -- wiki alert] Wikipedia [warning -- not a quotable source, just a good launching pad] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Perriello Thomas Stuart Price "Tom" Perriello (born October 9, 1974 in Ivy, Virginia) is an American politician and attorney. He is the Democratic congressman from the fifth district of Virginia. The district includes much...

At the very end of his State of the Union address, President Obama said, “we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -– to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.” Like most Americans, I agree with those broad principles, and that is exactly why Obama was so vague in his speech. His claim that “jobs must be our number one focus in 2010” would be exposed as a complete fraud if he promoted giving amnesty for illegal immigration...

Former Virginia congressman Virgil Goode said in an interview today that "a couple of groups" have asked him to run for his old seat in central and southside Virginia's 5th Congressional District -- and while he didn't say he would, he didn't say he wouldn't, either. Goode, a lawyer from Rocky Mount, said he's paying close attention to the seven candidates seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat Tom Perriello, who unseated Goode two years ago by fewer than 1,000 votes. Goode said his hope is that Republicans will nominate a candidate "who shares most of my beliefs and my...

When Barack Obama completely ignored the problem of uncontrolled immigration during his Jobs Summit, my former colleague Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued the following statement that was signed by 21 conservative Republican congressmen: “With a 10 percent unemployment rate, now is the time for the Obama administration to stand up for citizens and legal immigrant workers. Now is the time for the President to enforce immigration laws. When the jobs stolen by illegal immigrants are recovered for citizens and legal workers, American workers will benefit. President Obama could create eight million jobs for citizens and legal workers simply by enforcing...

Like virtually every issue that faces the nation, our healthcare problem is greatly exacerbated by mass immigration—both legal and illegal.  A total of 43% of non-citizens lack health insurance, compared to just 12.7% of native-born Americans.  These uninsured immigrants impose huge strains on our healthcare system that helped create the crisis we currently face. Plenty of analysts and commentators have exposed how illegal aliens will receive healthcare under Obamacare.  They point out that while the bill claims to prohibit illegal aliens from receiving benefits, the Democrats repeatedly blocked Amendments that would screen for legal status.  Steve Camorata of the non-partisan...

Former Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) opened up a sweepstakes in his old district when he said last month that he wouldn’t run in 2010, and state Sen. Robert Hurt has emerged from the clutter as the odds-on frontrunner. Hurt has yet to make his intentions known, but those close to him say he is seriously looking at the race and is leaning toward entering it. Freshman Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) has gained plenty of attention – some of it unwanted – during the August recess for the tightrope he is walking in a conservative district on issues like health care...

Former Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode has quietly ended his political career, according to a story in the Franklin (Virginia) News-Post

With President Obama expected tomorrow for the North American Leaders' Summit in Guadalajara, Mexico, a coalition of American legislators and activists took a message to the Mexican media, denouncing economic partnerships that would undermine national sovereignty and blasting Obama's failure to keep his promises on transparency and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Howard Phillips, chairman of The Conservative Caucus and head of the Coalition to Block the North American Union, spoke to Mexican print, television and radio media about the summit, which was known in previous years as the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership, or...

Thank you Tom Perriello By John Barnhart Thank you Tom Perriello — for stabbing the working people of the 5th District in the back. On June 29, 41 House Democrats had the courage to stand up to Supreme Leader Nancy Pelosi. They voted against her cap-and-trade energy bill. Congressman Perriello was not one of them. He voted for this nightmare, which narrowly passed the House of Representatives by seven votes.

The Jefferson Area Tea Party is rallying against Fifth District Congressman Tom Perriello. Thursday afternoon, the group held a protest at Perriello's office on Second Street in Charlottesville. They are upset with Perriello's support of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The group says the bill, which still being debated by the Senate, is an energy tax. Those people who support the initiative say it reduces the amount of carbon that electric utilities, oil refiners, and certain industries can emit. Perriello voted for the so-called "cap and trade bill", which passed the House 219 to 212.

ALTON, Va. — Rep. Thomas Perriello relishes an energy fight with Republicans — even here in the rural Southside. The freshman lawmaker understands the potential consequences that he and other vulnerable Democrats face for backing a sweeping climate-change bill, and rather than ducking the issue, he’s embracing what may have been the toughest vote of his young political career. “There’s got to be something more important than getting reelected,” Perriello said in an interview with POLITICO. “If I lose my seat, and that’s the worst that happens, I could live with that.” But the 34-year-old believes Democrats will win this...

Republicans appear to have another repeat candidate in 2010, as former Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) has filed to reclaim the seat he lost in November. Goode filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) — a move that allows him to raise money for the race — but he told The Hill that he hasn't made a final decision about running again in 2010. He said he filed because he received several “unsolicited” campaign contributions. Once a candidate receives $5,000, he or she must file a statement of candidacy with the FEC. “I’m filing that because a few people have...

Hon. Virgil Goode Former Congressman Virgil Goode represented the 5th congressional district of Virginia from 1997 to 2009.Congressman Goode was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1996. In 2000 he became an independent, then switched to the Republican Party in 2002. He supported GOP presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul in 2008. The same year he lost his bid for re-election to Congress by only 727 votes. Here's what Goode says about: Immigration: Illegal immigration must stop. Our borders must be secure. I have supported and cosponsored legislation to stop illegal aliens, terrorists, drug smugglers, and other criminals from coming...

Virgil Goode apparently is not going to take last year's election loss sitting down. U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello has been on the job about 10 weeks, and he's well aware that the five-term incumbent he beat is making plans for a comeback. Former 5th Congressional District representative Virgil Goode filed a statement of candidacy this week with the Federal Election Commission. Goode says he's not ready to make his candidacy official yet, though. "It's just so the papers would be there so I could explore running," he said. "I'll be looking at the situation, talking to people, finding out...

- - He will be congressman by a margin of 727 votes Congressman-elect Tom Perriello promised to continue his “double shift” working for the 5th District’s needs in Washington after being certified the winner of the congressional race Wednesday by a court in Albemarle County. A three-judge panel certified the final margin of victory at 727 votes, with 158,810 for Perriello and 158,083 for Republican incumbent Virgil Goode Jr. The recount found 250 vote changes, with Goode having a net gain of 18 votes. The recount began Tuesday with local election officials rechecking results in the district’s 22 localities. They...

Facing the loss of his seat, U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. said Thursday that all late-arriving absentee ballots cast by U.S. troops overseas should be counted as part of next week’s recount in his 5th District race. A federal judge in Richmond ruled Tuesday that Virginia’s State Board of Elections violated the law by mailing out absentee ballots to military voters too late for them to send back their ballot by Election Day. However, the judge added that the 4,750 such ballots across the state need not be counted, as they would not change the outcome of any race...

The Virginia State Board of Elections has certified Democrat Tom Perriello as the winner in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District election, unseating Republican Virgil Goode. A local newspaper reported today that Goode intends to petition for a recount.

The State Board of Elections has certified challenger Tom Perriello as the winner over Republican Congressman Virgil Goode. The board today certified Perriello as the winner by 745 votes in the 5th District congressional race. Goode is entitled to a recount if he chooses.

John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, is among those being vetted for Agriculture secretary in the Obama Cabinet, an individual with knowledge of the transition process said Thursday. Congressional Black Caucus members are backing Boyd in an attempt to reverse the department’s track record on civil rights, which government investigators and outside watchdogs have described as abysmal, aides said. The fourth-generation farmer and civil rights activist would be a surprise choice given the leadership pedigrees of other possible nominees, such as former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. But the pick would help fulfill President-elect Barack Obama ’s pledge...