The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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| Departing congressman unsure of plans |
Virgil H. Goode Jr. had a youthful look when he was elected to the Virginia Senate at the age of 27, the youngest member ever. |
Friday, January 2, 2009
By JOEL TURNER - Staff Writer
For the past 70 years, the name of Virgil Goode has been synonymous with Franklin County politics.
During the entire lifetime of many Franklin County residents, Virgil Goode, either the father or the son, has held elected office in the county.
The Goode name in county and town politics has survived after many other well-known names are no longer on the political scene.
But the Goode era in county politics could end this month unless the son chooses to make a political comeback.
The Goode era began before World War II, when Franklin Roosevelt was president of the United States and before Pearl Harbor.
Virgil H. Goode Sr., was an elected official in the state legislature and Franklin County for more than three decades, from 1940 to 1972.
Virgil H. Goode Jr., was also an elected official for more than three decades, from 1973 to 2009.
Both the father and the son served in the Virginia General Assembly before being elected to other offices.
Both the father and the son were lawyers, and both represented Franklin County in elected office for more than 30 years each.
The father served in the House of Delegates from 1940 to 1948 before being elected commonwealth's attorney in Franklin County. Goode served as commonwealth's attorney for 24 years, from 1948 until 1972.
The senior Goode was a political fixture in Franklin County for more than three decades. He gained statewide recognition for his political skills and oratory.
Goode was a Democrat in an era when Democrats were in power in Virginia politics.
Both the major highway through Franklin County (U.S. 220) and the Franklin County governmental office building are named for Goode Sr.
After more than two decades as commonwealth's attorney, in a major political upset, Goode was defeated for re-election in 1971 by William (Bill) Davis, a lawyer and former football star at Franklin County High School and Virginia Military Institute.
After the political defeat of Goode Sr., the Goode legacy continued in Franklin County because Goode Jr. was elected to the Virginia Senate in 1973, a year after his father left the commonwealth's attorney post.
Goode Jr. grew up in the political shadow of his father, and was elected to the Virginia Senate in 1973 at the age of 27, fresh out of law school at the University of Virginia. He was selected for the Virginia Law Review while he was in law school.
When Goode Jr. was elected to the Virginia Senate, he was its youngest member ever.
The son began his political career as an independent when he was elected to the Virginia Senate. But he became a Democrat soon after being elected.
During his career in the Virginia Senate, Goode Jr. supported Douglas Wilder, who would become the first elected black governor in the United States.
At the Democratic Party convention in 1985, Goode nominated Wilder for lieutenant governor. Wilder was elected governor four years later in a historic election.
Goode ran for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate twice. In 1982, he ran against Richard J. Davis, and in 1994, he ran against incumbent Sen. Charles Robb. He lost in the Democratic primary both times.
He served in the Virginia Senate until 1996 when he was elected to the Fifth District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Fifth District, which stretches from Franklin County to Greene County, covers 22 counties and cities, including Southside Virginia.
When Fifth District Congressman L.F. Payne, a Democrat, retired in 1996, Goode won the Democratic nomination to succeed him. Goode won election to Congress easily.
Ironically, 12 years later, Payne was named chairman of Congressman-elect Tom Perriello's transition advisory committee, after Perriello defeated Goode.
After serving 12 years in Congress, Goode's term will end in January.
Goode said he hasn't decided whether he will make a political comeback. But many of Goode's supporters are urging him to run again.
Before this year, no challengers had ever come close to defeating Goode, a household name in Virginia politics and a popular incumbent in his district.
Perriello's 727-vote victory was one of the major upsets in Virginia political history. Goode had a 30-point lead in the polls during the late summer.
Goode's defeat was "the most surprising result in Virginia" in this year's election, said Robert Holsworth, a political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Goode was a Democrat for more than 25 years of his political career before becoming an independent, and then he became a Republican in 2002.
Goode's political affiliation made little difference at the ballot box, however, as he has rolled up huge margins in winning new terms in Congress. The Goode name still had political appeal, whether as a Democrat or Republican.
Most politicians have found it a daunting challenge to run against the Goode, particularly in Franklin County.
As a congressman, Goode has supported anti-amnesty immigration legislation, veterans' health care and the $10 billion federal buyout for tobacco farmers.
He also fought to keep American jobs from moving to other countries and to protect senior citizens' benefits.
As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Goode obtained millions of dollars for projects in the Fifth District.
Franklin County and Rocky Mount officials have cited a long list of federal grants that Goode has helped obtain for the county, town and organizations within the county.
Goode has also been cited for his success in securing a federal tobacco buyout plan, which has provided thousands of dollars to dozens of tobacco growers in Franklin County.
Goode gained national attention in 1998 when he was one of only five Democrats in the House of Representatives to vote for three of the four articles of impeachment against former President Bill Clinton.
Two years later, he became a political independent and began caucusing with the Republicans and gained a seat on the House Appropriations Committee.
He has also been a member of the Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, and the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
Goode was the first Republican since 1889 to represent the Fifth District in Virginia.
Until this year, Goode had easily won re-election to the House. He won his first full term as a Republican in 2002 with 63 percent of the vote; 67 percent in 2004; and 59 percent in 2006.
But the Fifth District seat was targeted by the national Democratic Party this year as a race that Democratic strategists thought the party could win.
The race between Goode and Perriello was designated as one of the "Red-to-Blue" races nationwide by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
The Red-to-Blue contests included the DCCC's highest priority candidates and were the races believed to be the most competitive in the November election.
This is the first time that the Fifthï¾ District had received national support and attention by the DCCC.
During this year's campaign, Goode said his race against Perriello gained national attention, with thousands of dollars in out-of-state campaign donations for Perriello, because national Democratic Party leaders targeted him for defeat.
"I'm at the top of their (Democrats') list. They want me out," Goode said during the campaign.
Goode said the Democrats wanted to oust him because they know that he won't support their programs and proposals for tax increases.
Goode said that Perriello and President-elect Barack Obama were on the same page for raising taxes.
Recently, Goode voted no on the $700 billion Wall Street bailout package.
During his political career, Goode had a conservative voting record, opposing tax increases and supporting reductions in federal spending.
Goode has consistently supported right-to-life legislation and opposed same-sex marriages.
Speaking at the Fifth District Republican convention earlier this year, Goode said, "I have not always been politically correct during my tenure."
But Goode told the Republicans that he has been true to his conservative beliefs and the values of America. |
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