PPP: Perriello Tied With Goode or Hurt

PPP is out with fresh polling on Virginia's 5th CD. The highlights:

*"Tom Perriello is tied with Republican frontrunner Robert Hurt at 44% each."

*If former Rep. Virgil Goode runs, "Perriello and Goode tie at 41% with Hurt getting just 12%."

*Perriello "has a 46-42 advantage over Ken Boyd, a 45-37 one over Jim McKelvey, a 45-36 edge over Michael McPadden, and a 44-34 one over Laurence Verga."

*"Voters are relatively divided on Perriello’s performance so far with 42% approving to 46% who are unhappy with him."

*"None of the Republican candidates have better than 30% name recognition," with the Republican nomination being "[Goode's] for the taking if he changed his mind about seeking it."

Overall, these numbers aren't bad at all considering a political climate which isn't exactly ideal for Democrats right now. But remember, Tom Perriello overcame huge odds in 2008 against the supposedly "unbeatable" Virgil Goode. I'm confident that Perriello will prevail again in 2010, either against Virgil Goode or Robert Hurt, in part because Perriello has done a superb job connecting with people in his district. In addition, Perriello has worked his butt off and has done what he thinks is right for his district. Finally, I believe that, in the end, 5th CD voters will vote for a man who is driven by principles and conviction. Unlike, for instance, a finger-in-the-air, slippery, career politician like Robert Hurt.

Danville Newspaper: Perriello Works a Double for the 5th

Posted by The Green Miles

Virginia's 5th Congressional district was drawn by Republicans for a Republican. But what are Republicans offering 5th district voters in 2010? According to last night's debate:

Drastically cut the federal government. Privatize Social Security. Finish building a wall to keep out illegal immigrants. Eliminate most federal taxes and replace them with a national sales tax.

So it's not surprising that Rep. Tom Perriello continues to defy the odds with his principled centrism:

In his first year in Congress, Perriello has worked on behalf of veterans, green energy jobs and, like Goode, he has helped to steer federal dollars to Fifth District projects. He has voted against President Barack Obama on some issues and supported gun rights and worked against federal funding for abortion. But he has also voted for the federal stimulus, cap and trade and a health care bill.

His opponents are stumbling over one another to get rid of him. They may succeed. We shifted our longtime support from [former Rep. Virgil] Goode to Perriello two years ago because it became clear that Goode, for whatever reason, no longer believed he could be effective in Washington. Perriello had no such qualms about “working a double shift” for the Fifth District. He has done that — and more — over the past year. “Tom Perriello is a man of principle,” said Bradley Rees, a Bedford County FairTax advocate, blogger, radio host and possible independent congressional candidate. “He will come out and state his principles on any given agenda item and you can expect him to vote that way … I admire his principles. I admire his stance on what he believes. I just happen to not believe the same thing.”

With the Republican primary looking like the battle of Pearl Harbor as re-enacted by the Batley townswomen's guild, the editorial concludes, "If any Democrat can win in 2010, it's Perriello."

Virgil Goode: Tea Party Candidate vs. Robert Hurt?

Is former Congressman Virgil Goode (R-5th) going to run this year as a "Tea Party" candidate against Tom Perriello and whoever the Republican nominee turns out to be (most likely Robert Hurt)? It looks like it's a possibility.

Tea Party activists in Virginia's 5th Congressional District have asked former congressman Virgil Goode to consider jumping into the race to block Republican Robert Hurt's nomination.

[...]

Mark Lloyd, who leads the Lynchburg Tea Party organization, said he has spoken to Goode about getting into the Republican primary, a scenario that Lloyd described as "one option" to ensure the nomination of a sufficiently conservative candidate. The first option, however, will be to try to persuade the six other Republicans vying against Hurt for the nomination to choose the strongest amongst them and rally behind him or her. If they can't do that by Feb. 9, the pressure on Goode will intensify, Lloyd and others said.

Of course, if Goode runs as a third-part candidate, along with the Republican nominee (most likely Hurt) and Tom Perriello, this will almost guarantee Perriello's reelection. Unless, that is, Goode himself wins the election, but I find that hard to believe in a three-person, two-Republican/one-Democrat race.

Meanwhile, Eric Cantor has weighed in for Hurt and was immediately attacked by "several of the Republican primary candidates" and conservative bloggers. For instance, Feda Morton said, "I am disappointed that Cantor decided to get in behind Hurt; I thought he was more conservtive and principled than that." Laurence Verga added, "We would like Cantor to stay out of the fifth district and let the people make the decision on his own."

In other news, Hurt sent out a fundraising letter on Friday raising money for Republican candidate Scott Brown in Massachusetts. The question is, how long until Hurt is attacked as "supporting a RINO" (Brown's first job was as a...wait for it...TAX ASSESSOR! Brown also said he "never heard of" the Tea Party movement), "doing the bidding of national Republicans," "supporting a RINO," and as "not being focused on/loyal to the people of the 5th district?" Boy, is this ever going to be fun! :)