Tom Perriello

Virgil Goode

We won’t know until next week whether former U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount will be on the Virginia ballot as the Constitution Party’s candidate for president.

But there’s plenty of speculation about the impact a Goode candidacy could have on the race in Virginia, where President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney are running neck and neck. Could Goode pull enough conservative votes away from Romney to tip a close race – and a key state —  to Obama?

There’s at least one Democrat who isn’t underestimating Goode – former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello of Albemarle County, who defeated Goode in 2008. Perriello spoke at Obama’s campaign rally in Charlottesville on Wednesday and was asked about Goode’s candidacy in a brief interview.

“I think there’s no question that if Virgil wants to go out and really make the case to the voters, he is going to have significant appeal in Southwest and Southside Virginia,” Perriello said. “I’ve talked to a lot of conservatives in those areas who really don’t like Romney  –  for good and bad reasons. “

Perriello said Romney’s record on outsourcing of jobs – a record that Romney’s campaign says Democrats have distorted – is “devastating for him in a lot of these old manufacturing communities.”

“Virgil knows how to talk that talk and, in some ways, as a conservative populist , can address the economic woes of a lot of voters who are probably not going to ever vote for the president,” said Perriello, who was defeated in 2010 by Republican Robert Hurt. “Does he end up making a dent or not? If he wants to go out there and do the grassroots politics, no one does it better.”

The state board of elections is scheduled to certify third-party candidates for the presidential election ballot on Tuesday.

– Michael Sluss

Col. Bob Craig

If you’ve followed Roanoke city politics for the last few years, you probably know of Col. Bob Craig, who scolded the city council for years before finally making a run for office in 2010.

Craig, 72, passed away early Sunday.

Craig probably was best known for his 2010 run for the council, in which he fell 427 votes short of third-place finisher Bill Bestpitch in a race with three seats up for grabs. You can read the Q&A we published with Craig, in which he expounds upon his fiscal philosophy a bit.

I’ll remember him more for his curmudgeonly, no-nonsense approach. Bob wouldn’t hesitate to criticize my stories if he disagreed or thought I let a council member off too easily. But at the same time, he could be warm and friendly.

One time he was speaking to the council on a fiscal matter before suddenly digressing and complaining about Assistant City Manager Brian Townsend wagging his finger in his face. Craig said if it happened again, that finger was “liable” to get broken.

Here’s a clip from a story in that 2010 race where I asked him about that incident:

“I don’t think at my age with my record I need to take that kind of disrespect from someone like him,” Craig said earlier this year.

“My approach would of course be reasonable,” Craig said. “My approach has always been reasonable. What people forget is that after the third time, the fourth time, I get very unreasonable.”

I’ll always laugh when I remember one incident late in the campaign. One of Craig’s Republican running mates was Mike Powell, who was being interviewed on the local NAACP radio show:

Brenda Hale, president of the NAACP’s Roanoke branch, was interviewing Powell and fielded a phone call from someone who questioned whether Powell’s business had anywhere near the revenues of the city government.

Craig said Wednesday that he was not the caller in question: “I did not hear the radio thing. I don’t know what the hell it was, but it wasn’t me. He’s my running mate, all right? We’re running on the same ticket. I want to see a Republican sweep. That was not me.”

Was it in fact Craig on the line? I listened to a tape of the show and it sure sounded like him. But he never admitted to it, and it’s possible there’s another Roanoke political observer out there who sounds a lot like him.

One thing for sure though: There won’t be another Col. Craig.

– Mason Adams

Mitt Romney. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

The New York Times has a fascinating look inside the Romney campaign and how he turned up the heat on Newt Gingrich during this past week’s campaign in Florida.

Among the insights: If Romney seemed sharper in the two debates, perhaps it’s because he’s now being advised by Brett O’Donnell, the adviser to the Liberty University debate team. (Liberty has a very strong debate program.)

You can find the New York Times story here.

Tom Perriello

Former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Albemarle County, has a new job, heading up the advocacy arm of a prominent liberal think tank in Washington.

Perriello will become the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the organization announced today. He is part of a revamped leadership team that will oversee CAP Action’s policy, research, news gathering, and communications efforts.

“I am excited for this opportunity to join an institution that fosters the combination of big ideas and concrete action needed to face today’s economic, environmental, and security challenges,” Perriello said in a news release. “This is a critical moment for our country to return to values of basic fairness and opportunity that are bigger than any election cycle. The Center for American Progress Action Fund is central to generating innovative policy ideas and commonsense communication that can raise the level of policy debates. ”

Perriello shocked the political establishment in 2008 by defeating Republican Rep. Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount to win the 5th District seat in Congress. He held the seat for just one term before losing last year to Republican Robert Hurt of Chatham. But Perriello has maintained a strong following in the Democratic Party’s base and had been mentioned as a potential statewide candidate in 2013.

“Tom has a long record of promoting progressive ideas and making real change, and we are excited to bring his experience and integrity to American Progress in his leadership role of the Center for American Progress Action Fund as we continue to play an important role in shaping the nation’s policy debates,” said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, in today’s announcement.

– Michael Sluss

Greg Habeeb

Del. Greg Habeeb, R-Salem, just elected in January in a special election to fill the rest of Morgan Griffith’s term, says he’s ready for another go.

He’s sent out this notice about his re-election bid:

“All elected officials should ask themselves everyday whether they are the right person for the job. Over the last few weeks I’ve been asking myself, and many of you, that very question.

“After much prayer and consultation with my family and constituents, I am excited to announce that I am running for re-election this coming November.”

Habeeb was elected to the General Assembly in a Special Election in January. Habeeb succeeded House of Delegates Majority Leader Morgan Griffith who was elected to Congress.

Habeeb said he is proud of the work done in the General Assembly this year, but believes there is more that needs to be done.

“Our fight in Richmond is not an easy one but we have proven that when we work together and stick to our principles, we can accomplish great things,” Habeeb wrote.

Currently, the Eighth District includes the City of Salem and part of Roanoke County. Under the House of Delegates’ proposed redistricting plan, the Eighth District would grow to include Craig County, part of Montgomery County and part of the Town of Christiansburg.

Morgan Griffith

The Southwest Virginia Tea Party, which includes Abingdon and Bristol, has posted a long entry on its website, entitled “Morgan, where did the love go?” that details the group’s dissatisfaction with Ninth District Congressman Morgan Griffith.

It kicks off with a description of a recent protest at Griffith’s Abingdon office before delving into the group’s take on last year’s midterm elections, especially the nomination process.

The group’s biggest issue with Griffith is that he hasn’t supported Tea Party Caucus members Michele Bachmann and Steve King’s plan to defund the health care reform law by adding an amendment to the Continuing Resolution to prohibit federal funds from going to implement or support it.

Griffith has responded that while he wants to defund the health reform law, “using the Continuing Resolution to do so is not the proper vehicle. House rules do not allow for it.”

The Southwest Virginia Tea Party doesn’t buy that argument.

Then this there’s P.S. that’s included at the very end:

Weird side note: How odd is it that Jeremiah Heaton, the 2010 Indie candidate just happens by while we’re waving our signs in front of Morgan’s place?!? Plenty. Apparently Jeremiah just can’t stay out of the limelight, but if he thinks he’s got a foot in the Tea Party door for a re-match the next time around, we’ve already written that story once.

More recent posts on Griffith and the Tea Party:

3/18/11: Griffith says he wants to see more cuts in government spending
3/15/11: Tea Party to protest at Griffith’s district offices
3/11/11: Southwest Virginia Tea Party wants Griffith’s “assurance” on defunding health care law

Ken Cuccinelli

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announces his office will hold a fact-finding meeting in Christiansburg March 29 as part of his investigation into complaints about how the Montgomery County registrar handled the 2010 election.

The meeting will not be open to the public.

Here’s a release from his office: Read more »

The three-person Virginia State Board of elections voted this afternoon to refer its concerns about the conduct of elections in Montgomery County to the Virginia Attorney General for investigation.

“This is an action we do not take lightly,” board secretary Nancy Rodrigues said.

Board members spent about an hour analyzing a citizen complaint and a statement by the head of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County that criticized the conduct of elections as chronically unreliable, citing incidents in 2009 and 2010.

Jeff Sturgeon of The Roanoke Times has more on this story.

Larry Sabato, the oft-quoted University of Virginia political analyst, has a new book out.

Actually, it’s Sabato and an all-star cast of political analysts, contributing to a book on the 2010 elections: “Pendulum Swing.”

The details follow in a release from the UVA Center for Politics:

Today the University of Virginia Center for Politics released its latest book, Pendulum Swing, drawing on the collective wisdom of nearly two dozen of the nation’s top political analysts, journalists, and academics for comprehensive analysis of the 2010 midterm elections and the subsequent policy implications. As President Barack Obama makes his first address to the 112th Congress, this timely publication by Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato and a national team of contributing experts delves into the overlooked details of the 2010 elections. Looking back at the titanic political shift in Washington, DC and around the nation, the authors explore how that shift could affect the 2012 presidential election. The book is the newest in an ongoing annual election series developed by the Center for Politics and published by Pearson/Longman publishers (www.pearsonhighered.com).

“The 2010 midterm election was one of the most significant in modern American history. The voters spoke emphatically and what they said will have great consequences for years to come. This is an election that deserves extensive treatment, and that is what we have tried to deliver in Pendulum Swing,” Sabato said.

Separating political myth from reality, Pendulum Swing tackles topics such as the Tea Party, campaign finance, health care, the economy, the role of the media, each party’s political strategies, and how those factors contributed to the Republican wave last November.

Contributing authors include: Read more »

The Montgomery County electoral board has told the State Board of Elections that any errors committed during last November’s election were “harmless” and didn’t effect the outcome.

You’ll recall that a citizen had complained to the state. Now the board has sent a memo to Richmond giving its side of things.

Jeff Sturgeon of The Roanoke Times has details  in this story.