Accusations traded freely in 5th District race

TV viewers are seeing shady on-screen images of Rep. Virgil Goode’s Democratic opponent, Tom Perriello, a sure sign that the six-term incumbent sees this November’s race as competitive.

Accusations are traded freely between the two campaigns in both public appearances and TV commercials.

“Liberal,” Goode’s favorite word to describe his opponents in several campaigns, is applied frequently to Perriello.

“Culpable” is the term Perriello, 33, uses to describe Goode’s votes in Congress on energy bills and the financial crisis.

“Goode has come out with some relatively negative ads,” said Bob Roberts, a political analyst at James Madison University who says the 5th District “could be the sleeper House race in Virginia.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, an arm of the national party, also has picked the 5th District as one where the party has a chance of picking up a seat, and has paid for radio ads linking Goode with “big oil” because of campaign contributions he has received and stock he owns.

“I own some Exxon stock,” but not much, Goode, 61, said.

Both Perriello and Goode are running strong TV commercials that provide another indicator the race is tighter than it appeared in a Rasmussen poll that gave Goode a 64-30 edge in August.

“Advertising makes the race tighter, and Perriello has done a lot of TV,” Goode said last week. “But we’re working hard and we’re also on TV,” Goode said.

One of Goode’s commercials describes his policy on energy, an issue that faded the last two weeks as economic concerns surged to the forefront.

The other commercial, as Goode put it, “goes into Perriello’s positions on several issues.” That’s the commercial with a photo that makes Perriello look dark and sinister.

Perriello’s campaign has objected to the way Goode presented the photo, and also said the spot falsely claims that Perriello opposes drilling for oil in America.

In campaign appearances, Perriello often says he doesn’t oppose drilling, but asserts it would solve only 2 percent of the energy problem.

Goode insists the ad is accurate.

The photo, Goode said, was taken when Perriello was working in Africa with groups that helped end warfare in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Roberts said the image made Perriello look “really ominous.”

“Usually, you’re not going to run those ads unless you think there may be a problem,” Roberts said.

Young, newly registered voters in the Charlottesville and Nelson County areas could be a threat for Goode, the JMU analyst said, particularly if another economic crisis were to disturb the electorate before Nov. 4.

“Economic uncertainty is the issue,” Roberts said. His point was brought home in a Mason-Dixon Poll last week, when 69 percent of the Virginia respondents said the economy was the No. 1 issue on their minds.

“If older voters get insecure, if 401K savings get wiped out, this election becomes more unsecure for some members of Congress, particularly for Virgil,” Roberts said.

Goode’s solid support in the rural district could weaken a bit if more jobs were to be lost in the counties south of Nelson that were the basis of his landslide wins over Democrat Al Weed in the 2004 and 2006 elections, Roberts said.

The district extends from Charlottesville to the North Carolina border and includes the counties of Appomattox, Campbell, Nelson, Pittsylvania, the southern part of Bedford, and Goode’s home county of Franklin.

Perriello’s campaign had raised $930,725 as of June 30. His contributions are expected to go well above $1 million when the next round of campaign finance data is released in a few days.

Goode likes to point out much of Perriello’s money came from contributors in other states whom he calls liberals.

Perriello replies that Goode’s cash-on-hand total of $834,417 in June was put there by lobbyists for defense contractors, drug companies and oil giants whose interests he defends with his vote.

Perriello says he hasn’t accepted any corporate money.

Having a well-funded challenger is an unfamiliar position for Goode, who entered politics as a Democrat and switched to the Republican Party after House leaders promised him a seat on the Appropriations Committee.

Goode has built his base in Southside Virginia counties that have suffered heavy job losses when textile, furniture and tire-making companies shut down the past 20 years.

Goode has helped recruit new employers and distributed tobacco-settlement money to local projects throughout the region.

He has used congressional earmarks, a controversial but widely used source of funds, to help infrastructure projects in the 5th District, as well as university research ventures and defense contractors.

Less apparent has been guidance Goode has given to local community groups such as fire departments and rescue squads that wound up receiving federal grants to help them buy trucks and life-saving equipment.

“Cultural issues are Virgil’s strength” in Southside counties, Roberts said.

The only event that could shake that base would be more serious economic shocks, Roberts said.