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Virgil Hamlin Goode Jr. ( born October 17, 1946) is an American politician who served as a member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from 5th congressional district of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
from 1997 to 2009. He was initially a Democrat, but became an independent in 2000 and switched to the Republican Party in 2002. He was narrowly defeated in 2008 by Democrat Tom Perriello. In
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, he was the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party, receiving 122,388 votes or 0.09% of the total.


Early life and education

Goode was born in
Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, the son of Alice Clara (born Besecker) and Virgil Hamlin Goode Sr. However, he has spent most of his life in Rocky Mount, south of Roanoke. His father served in the
Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
from 1940 to 1948 and as commonwealth's attorney of Franklin County from 1948 to 1972; between them, father and son represented Franklin County at either the local, state or federal level with only one year's interruption from 1940 to 2009. Goode graduated with a B.A. from the
University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approxim ...
(
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
) and with a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He also is a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and served in the
Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...
from 1969 to 1975.


Virginia Senate

Goode grew up as a Democrat. Retrieved on December 28, 2006 He entered politics soon after graduating from law school. At the age of 27, he won a special election to the state Senate from a Southside district as an independent after the death of the multi-term Democratic incumbent, William F. Stone. One of Goode's major campaign focuses was advocacy for the
Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...
. Retrieved on December 29, 2006 Soon after being elected, he joined the Democrats. Goode was very conservative even by Virginia Democratic standards of the time. As such, he wore his party ties very loosely. He supported the tobacco industry, worrying that "his elderly mother would be denied 'the one last pleasure' of smoking a cigarette on her hospital deathbed." Goode ardently defended gun rights while also enthusiastically supporting L. Douglas Wilder, who later became the first elected black governor of Virginia. At the Democratic Party's state political convention in 1985, Goode nominated Wilder for lieutenant governor. However, while governor, Wilder cracked down on gun sales in the state. After the 1995 elections resulted in a 20–20 split between Democrats and Republicans in the State Senate, Goode seriously considered voting with the Republicans on organizing the chamber. Had he done so, the State Senate would have been under Republican control for the first time since Reconstruction (Republicans ultimately won control outright in 1999). Goode's actions at the time "forced his party to share power with Republican lawmakers in the state legislature," which further upset the Democratic Party.


U.S. Senate elections


1982

Independent incumbent U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd Jr. decided to retire. Goode ran for the seat, but lost the nomination, getting just 8% of the vote. Lieutenant Governor Richard Joseph Davis won the convention with 64% of the vote. Davis lost the general election by a two-point margin.


1994

He decided to run for the U.S. Senate again in 1994, to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Chuck Robb in the Democratic primary. He angered much of the leadership of the Virginia Democratic Party during his second run. On June 14, Robb defeated Goode 58% to 34%.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections

;1996 When incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Lewis Payne decided to retire in 1996, Goode won the Democratic nomination to succeed him. His state senate district was virtually co-extensive with the southern portion of the congressional district. He defeated Republican nominee George Landrith, an attorney, 61% to 36%. ;1998 Goode won re-election to a second term unopposed. ;2000 Prior to the election, Goode switched from a Democrat to an independent. He portrayed himself as a congressman who was "as independent as the people he serves." He won re-election to a third term with 67% of the vote. ;2002 For the 2001 congressional redistricting, Goode allied with Republican Bob Goodlatte and Democrat Rick Boucher to ensure that none of them would be put in the same district. Goode's home in Franklin County is only about south of Goodlatte's home in Roanoke, the heart of the . The counties to the west of Franklin County were in Boucher's , which had to expand due to lack of population growth. Having become a Republican in August 2002, Goode won the Republican nomination and won re-election to a fourth term with 63% of the vote. He was the first Republican to represent this district since 1889. ;2004 He won re-election to a fifth term with 64% of the vote, defeating Vietnam War veteran and businessman Al Weed. ;2006 He won re-election to a sixth term with 59% of the vote against Weed again. ;2008 Goode lost his seat in 2008, to Democrat Tom Perriello by 727 votes (0.24% of over 316,000 votes cast). While Goode won 13 of the district's 20 counties and independent cities, the race was decided in the district's more urbanized areas. Goode won only one independent city in the district,
Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...
, but by only 16 votes. Ultimately, Goode could not overcome a combined 19,000-vote deficit in the Charlottesville area (Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County), where Perriello is from. Goode mostly held his own in the district's strongly conservative southwestern portion, parts of which he had represented for 35 years at the state and federal level. ;2010 Goode had filed paperwork with the Federal Election Committee to allow him to raise money for a possible rematch in the 2010 elections, due to receiving "unsolicited" campaign contributions, though he said he had not decided whether or not he would run in 2010. However, Goode announced in late July 2009 that he would not seek the Republican nomination for the seat in 2010. Nonetheless, many expected this race to be heavily targeted by the Republican Party in 2010; it was won by Republican Robert Hurt that year.


Tenure

During his first two terms, he compiled one of the most conservative records of any Democrat in the Congress. Like many Southern Democrats, Goode strongly opposed
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
and gun control and vigorously supported the
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
industry. His contrarian streak resulted in him being isolated within the Democratic caucus, which later led to him switching parties. Goode came under considerable fire shortly after being unopposed for a second term in 1998, when he voted for three of the four articles of impeachment against
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
. In January 2000, he declared himself an independent and began caucusing with the Republicans, who gave him a seat on the Appropriations Committee. Republicans had been lobbying him to switch parties since 1998. Reflecting on Goode's record at the time, David Brown, the
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of Charlottesville and a former chairman of the city's Democratic Party said "It was obvious he didn't really fit in the Democratic Party anymore." He officially joined the GOP in August 2002. Goode's primary policy initiatives were opposition to amnesty for undocumented immigrants, veterans' healthcare, and the enactment in 2004 of a $9.6 billion (~$ in ) buyout for tobacco farmers. Goode has sponsored legislation to permit deployment of the U.S. Armed Forces to the U.S.-Mexico border. He voted in 2002 to authorize the Iraq War and in support of an $87 billion (~$ in )
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
supplemental spending bill. Goode is an advocate of a federal prohibition of online
poker Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...
. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. Goode voted in 2007 against a resolution opposing the increase in troop numbers in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
, saying that he didn't want to "aid and assist the Islamic jihadists who want the green flag of the crescent and star to wave over the Capitol of the United States and over the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
of this country" and that "radical
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
s" wanted to control the world and put "In
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
We Trust" on American currency. ;Liberty caucus Goode served on the Liberty Caucus (sometimes called the Liberty Committee), a group of libertarian-leaning congressional representatives. Other members at that time included Ron Paul of Texas, Jimmy Duncan of
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, Walter B. Jones of
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, Roscoe Bartlett of
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, Scott Garrett of
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, Zach Wamp of Tennessee, and Jeff Flake of
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
. ;MZM In 2005, Goode faced questions when a major corporate campaign donor, defense contractor MZM, Inc., was implicated in a bribery scandal that resulted in the criminal conviction and resignation of California congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Although Goode insisted that his relations with MZM were motivated solely by his interest in bringing high-paying skilled jobs to his district, in December of that year he donated the $88,000 received in MZM contributions to regional charities. On July 21, 2006 Richard Berglund, a former supervisor of the
Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville is an Political subdivisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 13, ...
office of MZM Inc., pleaded guilty to making illegal donations to Goode's campaign. Court papers indicated that Berglund and MZM owner Mitchell Wade (who previously pleaded guilty) engaged in a scheme to reimburse MZM employees for campaign donations. There was no allegation of wrongdoing on the part of Goode's campaign. ;2006 Qur'an controversy In 2006, Minnesota's 5th congressional district elected Keith Ellison as the first
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Some criticized Ellison's intended use of the
Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...
once owned by
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
at a private swearing-in ceremony; among them, Goode was vocal in his opposition to Ellison's plan. One of Goode's constituents posted a letter online from the congressman regarding Ellison. The letter reads in part:
When I raise my hand to take the oath on Swearing In Day, I will have the Bible in my other hand. I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way. The Muslim Representative from
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran.
Ellison criticized Goode for this letter, stating that he is not an immigrant and that Goode does not understand Islam. Ellison also offered to meet with Goode to discuss the matter. On his first day in office, Ellison sought out Goode and initiated a cordial exchange on the House floor. In interviews around that time, Goode stated that he was in favor of decreasing legal immigration to the United States and that he wanted to do away with Diversity Immigrant Visas. Goode argued that such visas would allow people "not from
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an countries" or from "some terrorist states" to enter America. Goode also repeated his views on a January 1, 2007 post to the ''
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''
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. ;Hummer accusation At the 2008
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
parade in Scottsville, Virginia, independent supporters of Goode drove a Hummer H3 decorated with signs promoting Goode and Robert B. Bell. Retrieved on August 10, 2008 With gas prices at $4 a gallon, a supporter of Goode's opponent, Tom Perriello, put video of the parade on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
, accusing Goode of being out of touch with ordinary citizens grappling with the high cost of fuel. Goode never rode in the Hummer, and is not known to have had anything to do with it, but he was widely portrayed as having both owned and operated the vehicle. He was lampooned on '' The Daily Show'' for the story. ;North Theatre controversy The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development grant that Goode assisted in bringing to the North Theatre project was received by the North Theatre organization in 2005. The ''Danville Register & Bee'' reported that Goode's press secretary as well as his wife Lucy were both on the founding board of the North Theatre. Virgil Goode checked with the House ethics committee, before Duncan or his wife Lucy went onto the North Theatre board. In the light of the controversy, Lucy Goode stepped down from the board. In 2003, Duncan told the ''Register & Bee'' he didn't see any conflict with the earmarked dollars. "I don't even know how a question of a conflict even arises," he said. ;Sabato earmark controversy In June 2009, it was revealed that political scientist Larry Sabato, of the Center for Politics, had been the recipient of over $7 million in earmark money from Goode, who Sabato predicted would win re-election in 2008, despite declining poll numbers; Goode ultimately lost the race by a small margin. Some observers have suggested that Sabato should have revealed his financial connection to Goode or recused himself from making predictions about the race. Greg Sargent, ''Larry Sabato And The D.C. Pundit-Industrial Complex'', The Plum Line, June 19, 2009


Committee assignments

* House Appropriations Committee


2012 presidential campaign

In November 2010, Goode joined the executive committee of the Constitution Party, having previously been a member of the party's larger national committee. He told the '' Roanoke Times'' in June 2011 that he would "consider unning for the party's presidential nominationas the year progresses." Goode filed with the
Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the United States government that enforces U.S. campaign finance laws and oversees U.S. federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Campaign ...
(FEC) as a presidential candidate on February 10. Goode was selected as the party's 2012 presidential nominee on April 21, 2012, at the 2012 Constitution Party National Convention in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. On October 23, 2012, Virgil Goode, along with
Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 29th List of governors of New Mexico, governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republica ...
, Jill Stein, and Rocky Anderson participated in a debate moderated by
Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...
. Goode lost in a poll conducted after the debate to decide who would face off in a runoff debate.


Electoral history

*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1996, write-ins received 104 votes. In 2000, write-ins received 70 votes. In 2006, write-ins received 99 votes.


See also

* List of American politicians who switched parties in office * List of United States representatives who switched parties


References


External links


Virgil Goode for President 2012
official campaign website * *
Audio from Goode's August 9, 2006 debate with Al Weed
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Goode, Virgil 1946 births Baptists from Virginia Constitution Party (United States) presidential nominees Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Independent members of the United States House of Representatives Living people Politicians from Richmond, Virginia People from Rocky Mount, Virginia Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Candidates in the 2012 United States presidential election University of Richmond alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni Virginia Constitutionalists Virginia independents Virginia lawyers Virginia Republicans Virginia state senators 21st-century Virginia politicians 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly