An interesting poll came in today on Virginia's 5th Congressional District, home of Rep. Tom Perriello, whose career I have kept an eye on for a while. Perriello won his seat by fewer than a thousand votes, and it has been identified by Republicans as one of their top targets. But Public Policy Polling finds that he's tied up with the current Republican front-runner. Perriello would also tie his last opponent, former Rep. Virgil Goode, if the erstwhile GOPer chose to run as an independent.
This, of course, isn't the rosiest prediction, but party officials were surprised by how Perriello has maintained his popularity in a district that has a +5 Republican advantage during this tough political climate for incumbents. That's especially true after Perriello has faced around $1 million in attack ads from conservative groups because he has the right idea about his job -- Perriello has taken tough votes on health-care reform, cap-and-trade, and the stimulus act. His critics will note that he voted for the execrable Stupak amendment, but the decision didn't spur from political concern but rather because he is a devout Catholic.
Most important, as Dave Weigel comments over the tweets, "Perriello is out there campaigning all the time. The wimpy retiring Dems don't want to work for it." It's true, and it should be a lesson for other Democrats in tough districts. It's possible to maintain support if you're willing to stand up for your principles and work hard to get your message out. It sounds like Politics 101, but so many Dems in seats like these are retiring or offering weak-tea conservative compromises that don't differentiate them from the other party. The rest of the majority caucus could learn from one of its younger members.
-- Tim Fernholz
