Perriello garners more donations than Goode

By The Daily Progress Staff

Published: July 16, 2008

In his bid to unseat longtime incumbent Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., Democratic challenger Tom Perriello has raised more money than his Republican rival.

Perriello, an Ivy resident, had collected a total of $910,521 in campaign contributions during the first half of 2008, according to documents filed late Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.

Goode, a Republican from Rocky Mount, had raised $818,811 during the election cycle, according to the documents.

Although Perriello had a slight fundraising edge, Goode still has a sizable cash advantage heading toward the Nov. 4 contest.

Goode had $834,417 in his campaign war chest, while Perriello had $519,631 left in the bank.

During the second quarter of the year, Goode brought in roughly $390,000 in campaign contributions. For his part, Perriello received just more than $310,000, according to the documents.

Perriello’s campaign pointed out that it has broken the 5th District’s Democratic fundraising records for four consecutive quarters.

Goode’s campaign said that Perriello’s fundraising success is mostly coming from out-of-state sources, with $160,000 worth of contributions from contributors in New York and $100,000 from California donors.

Jessica Barba, Perriello’s spokeswoman, said that the “vast majority” of Perriello’s donors are from within the 5th District. “We have a huge base of support from the district,” she said.

Barba said that a quarter of Goode’s contributions came from political action committees, while Perriello has pledged not to accept money from lobbyists or corporate interest groups.