In 2008, Tom Perriello’s victory against six-term Republican incumbent Virgil Goode was one of the great upsets in Virginia politics. The freshman congressman defeated Goode by a mere 727 votes after a Goode-called recount.
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The past year has brought unprecedented attention to the Fifth Congressional District and its freshman occupant, Tom Perriello, who ranks among the top GOP targets for November’s elections. |
That very seat is in contention in the 2010 middle-term elections. Perriello will face the winner of the June Republican nomination, which includes candidate Ken Boyd of the Albemarle County Supervisors.
“One major highlight was seeing my first bill signed into law just a month after coming into office. It was a $2,500 tax credit for college tuition and textbooks,” writes Perriello in an e-mail. “It was amazing to know that in that short period of time, I had done something concrete to help young people and displaced workers afford higher education.”
But the White House agenda has awakened a wave of conservativism across the district. Now major national news outlets and political pundits are keeping a close eye on our district. And there isn’t a day that goes by that the Huffington Post, Politico or The Daily Beast misses the opportunity to zero in on our district as a possible November battlefield. Sarah Palin trained her rifle sights on the Fifth District as one to reclaim in 2010.
However, a February Public Policy poll showed that Perriello is faring well against his opponents.
“I want both parties to tackle the deep generational issues such as energy independence, restoring the purchasing power of the middle class, reining in deficit spending, and rebuilding America’s competitive advantage,” says Perriello. “We cannot solve every problem, but it is not in our nature as a country or as a people to back down just because the solutions will be tough. Right now, at this time, in this global economy, we can step up to the plate or watch other countries pass us by. I chose to step up and do not regret it for a second.”
