Goode raises meager sum in 2nd quarter

Former GOP Congressman Virgil H. Goode Jr.’s latest fundraising total hardly could be called a war chest.

Between April 1 and June 30, Goode raised $154, according to federal campaign finance reports filed Wednesday.

Goode represented the 5th District — which stretches from Charlottesville to Danville — for six terms until he was defeated last fall by U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy, in the closest congressional race in the nation.

In early March, Goode filed to run for re-election, but the Rocky Mount native had not made a final decision about running against Perriello in 2010.

Goode, 62, has said that he will make an announcement “before too long” about whether or not he’ll try to reclaim his old seat. He did not return a call for comment Wednesday.

Goode has made a few public appearances in the district, most recently at an anti-tax “Taxed Enough Already” rally in Danville on July 4.

The lack of campaign contributions is a sign that Goode might be leaning toward not running, said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

“That to me is a signal that he’s not running,” Sabato said. “Let me add, Virgil’s full of surprises.”

Whoever the GOP nominates to run against Perriello, Sabato said, that candidate will require hundreds of thousands of dollars to stay competitive.

According to Federal Election Commission reports, Perriello raised $215,400 in the second quarter of 2009.

Goode, who had cash left in his campaign account after last November’s election, has roughly $139,200 cash on hand.

Goode spent a bit more than $15,000 during the second quarter, paying his office’s utility bills and making political contributions to Del. Watkins M. Abbitt Jr., I-Appomattox, Virginia House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, and other conservative candidates and organizations.

Perriello’s campaign account, meanwhile, has around $382,000, according to documents filed Wednesday.

“The fundraising is on pace, but obviously the congressman’s main concern is doing a good job in his first term in office and bringing jobs back to the district,” said Jessica Barba, Perriello’s press secretary.

While next year’s mid-term elections might seem a long way off, they are rapidly approaching, Sabato said.

“We’re one-quarter of the way through Perriello’s first term. The election is just 15 months away,” he said. “It sounds like a lot of time, but that’s nothing.”

Several Republicans in the 5th District have expressed interest in running, but are waiting for Goode to make his decision.

“They’re waiting on Virgil,” said Chris Schoenewald, chairman of the Albemarle County GOP. “Nobody wants to be seen as stepping on his toes.”

Goode’s lack of campaign contributions in the second quarter might simply reflect the reality that Goode has not made up his mind, Schoenewald said.

“Nobody wants to put money toward someone who might not be running, including Virgil,” he said.

Andy Sere of the National Republican Congressional Committee said whoever runs against Perriello in 2010 will be well-funded and strongly supported.

“While it’s still early, it’s crystal clear that Tom Perriello will face a strong Republican challenger next year, and that at this point Tom Perriello is doing our job for us by making clear to voters that he’s more interested in appeasing the liberal wing of his party than in fighting for Central and Southside Virginia’s middle class,” Sere said.

The NRCC views Perriello one of its top targets for 2010.

State Sen. Robert Hurt, a Republican who represents the Danville area, has said he would consider running if Goode opts not to run.

Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County, is also frequently mentioned as a possible candidate, but Bell says he is focused only on his own re-election bid in 2009.

Cordel Faulk, director of communications for Sabato’s Center for Politics, has also been suggested, but Faulk said last month that he had not made up his mind about running.

One GOP candidate has already announced that wants to challenge Perriello next year. Bradley Rees, who works at a manufacturing plant in Lynchburg, is a strong advocate of the “Fair Tax,” which would essentially replace federal income taxes with a national sales tax.

Rees had not filed a second quarter campaign finance report by press time Wednesday, according to Federal Election Commission records.