Recount confirms Perriello win

After a recount of more than 316,860 votes, Democrat Tom Perriello of Ivy was affirmed Wednesday as the winner in his closely contested race against six-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr.
“I’m humbled to be chosen to represent the 5th District,” Perriello, 34, said on the steps of Albemarle County Circuit Court as supporters behind him hugged in celebration. “I’m going to work hard to represent everyone in the district, not just those who supported me in the election.”
Perriello’s official victory came at the end of a two-day recount of all votes cast in the district’s 22 localities, including Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson.

The original results from the Nov. 4 contest showed Perriello with a total of 158,712 votes compared with Goode’s 157,967 — a 745-vote margin of victory for Perriello.
The recount shifted 251 votes, adding a net of 98 to Perriello and a net of 116 to Goode. Overall, the final tally showed Perriello with 158,810 votes and Goode with 158,083, slightly shrinking Perriello’s victory margin to 727 votes.
A three-judge panel oversaw the recount and accepted its results at a
hearing Wednesday afternoon inside the Albemarle County courthouse.
“Having determined that Tom S. Perriello received the highest number of votes, this court declares that he is elected as the representative of Virginia’s 5th District of the U.S. House of Representatives,” Judge Timothy K. Sanner said.

Goode, 62, who has been a longtime fixture of Virginia politics, conceded his defeat in a statement e-mailed to reporters shortly after the court’s decision.
“I congratulate Mr. Perriello and wish him well as he represents the 5th District,” Goode said. “Although the recount made vote changes in 14 of the 22 jurisdictions, and although we gained a few votes, the recount has confirmed earlier indications that Mr. Perriello had the most votes. I extend special thanks and appreciation to all the volunteers who worked as observers and in other ways during this recount process. I am also grateful for the election officials that conducted the recount.”
Goode requested the recount, which was funded by taxpayers in the district as the margin between the candidates was less than 0.5 percent. The Rocky Mount Republican did not attend the recount hearing Wednesday in Charlottesville.
Tucker Watkins, chairman of the 5th District Republican Committee and Goode’s campaign manager, said he does not know if Goode plans to run against Perriello in 2010.
“I’ve had a huge number of people tell me that he ought to,” Watkins said. “There’s a huge amount of sentiment in support of him running again.”

However, Watkins said, other qualified Republicans are expressing interest, but only if Goode opts not to run.
“We have a huge number of good people in the district, but I think every single one of them defers to Virgil,” Watkins said.
Goode, Watkins said, is a man of principles who has served the district well. “He’s an example for many to emulate.”
Watkins said that he knew “early on” that Perriello had a shot at unseating Goode, as Perriello managed to raise a significant sum of money and because it was a year when Democrats were highly motivated to head to the polls.
Goode actually spent slightly more on the campaign than did Perriello. Goode spent roughly $1.9 million, compared with Perriello’s $1.8 million. Perriello, however, was aided by heavy last minute spending on TV ads by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
By the end of the election, Perriello’s campaign was nearly $30,000 in debt, while Goode had roughly $202,000 left in the bank, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Perriello said his victory was a “historic upset” that shows voters want a congressman who puts results ahead of partisanship, particularly during the tough economic times facing the district and nation.
“When people ask how we were able to come from 34 points behind to win in a district that John McCain carried, I tell them of our commitment to a people-powered campaign, fueled by thousands of individuals and the largest grassroots network the district has ever seen,” Perriello said. “We showed with this historic upset that people are ready to trade in the old politics of fear and division for a new style of positive, solutions-oriented public service.”
Perriello added that he had wished the three-judge panel had allowed the recount to include 77 late-arriving absentee ballots from active-duty military personnel. The judges on Monday denied a motion — filed by both Goode and Perriello — to count the ballots.
“I am disappointed that the court denied my request to count the votes of those brave men and women serving overseas that arrived after the deadline, even though it would not have altered the outcome,” Perriello said. “I pledge that standing up for our servicemen and women overseas and our veterans as they return home will always be a priority for me.”

Perriello’s remarks on the courthouse steps were briefly interrupted when an angry young man, who apparently goes by the name “Peanut,” left an unrelated court hearing and attempted to pick a fight with a Perriello supporter. When another Perriello backer threatened to call the police, Peanut began walking away and yelled: “I ain’t afraid of the police. They scared of me, though.”

Following the interruption, Perriello continued his news conference without missing a beat.
He never doubted, he said, that the recount would uphold his victory.
“There’s a lot of anxiety lifted off the shoulders,” he said. “Not just mine, but also my mother’s.”
Perriello has been working to transition into office in January. He is trying to get a committee assignment, he said, that will allow him to focus on economic development in the district. “We’re starting at a very urgent time in our country’s economy,” he said.
In the end, the 5th District recount moved only a handful of votes, as is typical with recounts in Virginia. In this instance, Goode picked up a net 18 votes out of 316,893 votes cast. In the statewide attorney general’s race recount in 2005, Bob McDonnell gained a net 37 votes out of 1.94 million cast.