Perriello picked to face Goode in November election

Bob Gibson / Charlottesville Daily Progress
Published: March 4, 2008

Tom Perriello, an Albemarle County native active in the progressive religious movement, has claimed the Democratic Party nomination to run against 5th District Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-Rocky Mount, in the Nov. 4 election for Congress.

Fred Hudson, the 5th District Democratic Party chairman, said Perriello is the only Democrat who met the party's candidate filing qualifications.

He will be nominated officially May 17 at a district convention in Lovingston at the Nelson County Middle School, Hudson said.

Hudson said the district convention also will select three Democratic National Convention delegates for Barack Obama and one for Hillary Clinton, plus an alternate for Obama to the Aug. 25-28 convention in Denver. The proportions were determined by Obama's Feb. 12 primary margin of support in the district.

Perriello, 33, said Tuesday that he has raised more than $300,000 in contributions for the contest and opened campaign offices in Franklin County and Charlottesville. He plans to open another within a month in Danville.

"We have got great volunteers," Perriello said. "We've already gotten more than 1,300 volunteer hours logged on the campaign."

Del. David J. Toscano, D-Charlottesville, said he is delighted to see Perriello secure the nomination and get a strong start for what is considered an uphill contest against Goode.

"Tom is going to make a great candidate, and I think people will be very proud of what he has to offer," Toscano said. "I think he's going to run a great campaign."

Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County, said Goode is gearing up for a serious campaign effort.

"The campaign has just begun," Bell said. "Virgil is a dogged and very diligent campaigner and I am sure we will see a lot of him in our community over the next six months."

Goode holds a lead in money raised but was out-raised by Perriello in the fourth quarter of last year.

Goode, 61, is seeking a seventh term and had $384,162 on hand at year's end.

Perriello had $243,560 at the close of 2007 and said he is engaged in growing his party's grassroots support throughout the 5th District while appealing to independents and Republicans as well.

Goode was first elected as a Democrat and switched to run as an independent and later as a Republican.