VA 5th District Twist
13. Feb, 2010 
3 Comments
A recent press release from Public Policy Polling released polling data that shows Tom Perriello, Democrat incumbent for the 5th district, and Robert Hurt, likely GOP candidate, in a tie at 44% each. However, as the press release noted:
Former Congressman Virgil Goode has hinted he may run as an independent if the GOP doesn’t nominate someone sufficiently conservative. In that instance Perriello and Goode tie at 41% with Hurt getting just 12%.
Perriello leads the rest of the GOP field in head to head contests. He 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.
Goode who lost his seat in the 2008 election by a mere 732 votes, still enjoys a favorable rating of 58% among likely voters.
Calling Hurt the “likely GOP candidate” is a stretch, at best. His record of voting FOR Mark Warner’s $1.4 billion tax increase in 2004 and other questionable votes don’t bode well for his campaign. His lead has shrunk since December and his campaign has no apparent momentum.
Well, I hope you are right and that is the point of this post, to show he is a weak candidate.
If conservatives in the 5th district really don’t like Hurt they need to start rallying behind one of the other candidates, to help them win the nomination.