It's official, barring a recount, Tom Perriello has unseated Virgil Goode in Virginia's 5th congressional district:
The State Board of Elections has certified challenger Tom Perriello as the winner over Republican Congressman Virgil Goode.
The board on Monday certified Perriello as the winner by 745 votes in the 5th District congressional race. Goode is entitled to a recount if he chooses.
Perriello's apparent victory gives Democrats a 6-5 majority in Virginia's congressional delegation.
It looks like Goode does intend to ask for a recount. It's his prerogative, and Goode has never even come close to losing before so I'd be surprised if he went out quietly. This is a remarkable reversal in terms of ideology as well: While Goode is a protectionist, he's very conservative on most issues, and while Perriello is pro-gun he's very liberal on most issues. This contest, which I wrote about earlier this month for TAP, was a choice between two candidates with extremely different political outlooks rather than a choice between a conservative southern Democrat and a conservative southern Republican.
-- A. Serwer
