Danville paper backs Goode opponent for 1st time

Democrat Tom Perriello of Ivy won the endorsement of the Danville Register & Bee on Friday — the first time the paper has backed a candidate in the 5th District other than U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-Rocky Mount, since Goode first sought the office in 1996.

“We expect to receive great criticism for endorsing Perriello over Goode,” the editorial said. “But our decision was born out of frustration with a career politician who has already told us he expects to be ineffective as Democrats gain more power in Congress. “Just this year, Goode has voted against the tax rebate checks that people throughout the 5th District received this year and he voted against a financial rescue plan that even his own Republicans believed was necessary to stave off more serious economic problems.

“If we send Goode back to Washington, how many more times will he vote against our interests? We can’t take that chance.”
The Lynchburg News & Advance, meanwhile, endorsed Goode on Tuesday.
“Goode, unlike his opponent, sees government as a necessary evil for the functioning of a well-ordered society, but his ultimate faith is in the individual,” the Lynchburg paper wrote. “We detect more than a small degree of reliance on big government in his opponent’s platform regarding any number of issues: energy, education, competitiveness and health care to name just a few.”

As of Friday, other major newspapers in the 5th District, including The Daily Progress, had not endorsed a candidate in the race. The 5th District includes Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson. It stretches from the Charlottesville region down to Southside Virginia.

The Danville and Lynchburg newspapers are owned by Media General, the parent company of The Daily Progress.