With the newest polling data from PPP in Virginia, the question is now being raised if Virgil Goode is taking votes away from Republican Mitt Romney.
Mr. Goode has managed to qualify for the ballot in 17 states thus far, according to his campaign website — and Virginia is not one of them. He garnered less than 0.5 percent of the vote in a Gallup poll of registered voters conducted between June 7 and June 10, and support for third-party candidates has historically trended downward as Election Day nears.
But Mr. Goode’s close political ties to Virginia could change that, at least inside the state, and tea party voters are one bloc that would seemingly gravitate toward him. Mark Lloyd, past chairman of both the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation and the Lynchburg Tea Party, though, said there simply isn’t much chatter about Mr. Goode’s candidacy in those circles.
“Folks in the 5th District just think the world of Virgil,” he said. “I understand his frustration — but I don’t see that a third party stands a chance at impacting anything positively at this point. I think what it will be is that any vote for a [third party] will pretty much be a vote for Obama.”
Read the whole article at the Washington Times: Goode’s third-party run: Bad news for Romney in Virginia?
Virgil Goode is a former Congressman from Virginia’s 5th district. He is one of the only members of the House to serve as a Democrat, Independent, and Republican. Virgil Goode is running for President as the Constitution Party nominee.
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Goode’s presidential run isn’t even a gnat on Mitt Romney’s dog’s ass while it is in a cage on top of his car roof on the freeway.
Heads O’Bombney wins. Tails the rest of us lose.
The Independent Greens of Virginia put the most candidates on the ballot for congress in Virginia for at single third party since 1916. As has been noted over at Ballot access news.
The Indy Greens celebrate 11 years as a recognized, and official third party in Virginia by the state board of elections.
As is normal for the Independent Green Party of Virginia – they see themselves as a combination of Independents, and all the third parties – the Indy Greens have been collecting thousands of signatures for all three major third parties.
Virginia was always a priority and they were always going to make it there. PA is another priority, so I expect them to make it there. I’m more interested to see if they make it on the ballot in Alaska, California, and New York.
Goode will be turning in 13,000-14,000 signatures next week to begin the process of checking. He will have 600-800 in each congressional district as well. Given the August 24th deadline I see no reason he does not make it.
Getting on the ballot and hoping to make a profit doing it, as usual. Highest bidder gets the line…
Anyone know what the Independent Greens are up to regarding the Presidential race?
Virgil Goode will get more votes than any other CP candidate in history. That being said he does not seem to have fired up the Contitutional base as much as Peroutka or Baldwin did. He will break 200,000 votes but not 300,000.
Not if your petitioners are any good, as the LP’s are. Such as my friend Bob Lynch for example. Twice the valid number is only if you hire people who don’t know how to screen signers.
Virgil Goode has 11,000 signatures, and he is quite aware of the need to get 400 valid signatures from each of the US House districts. And his ballot label will be “Constitution.” Right now, his petition has more signatures than either the Libertarian or Green petitions. The deadline is August 24.
Odds are good that any day now, a U.S. District Court in Virginia will invalidate the state’s ban on out-of-state circulators.
Dear Thomas,
Thanks for the consideration! Lots can happen between now and November. Maybe I’ll send flowers…. DH
RDH@7,
You might want to prepare yourself for disappointment. Good is unlikely to get “a lot of votes,” period, let alone “a lot of votes” from this or that particular demographic.
I’ll be surprised if he breaks 200k, will be very surprised if he breaks 250k, and may check myself into a hospital to ascertain that I’m not hallucinating if he “costs Romney the election.” And I’m highballing those numbers to make you feel better.
George,
The deadline is August 24th.
No-one knows.
All three petition drives Green, Libertarian, and Virgil are making fair progress.
From what I’ve seen Virgil’s leading in signatures now…..but it is a very imprecise science.
Kevin,
You are wrong, Sir.
Virginia requires 10,000 VALID signatures to make the ballot state wide. It also requires 400 valid in each of the 11 congressional districts.
Getting 10,000 VALID signatures means collecting twice that number.
As a veteran of Virginia politics, I assure you, Congressman Goode, as is the Green Party, and as are the Libertarians – all are a considerable distance from making the ballot.
It will be interesting to see…
@13- They would never have voted for Obama anyway so they slot in at the ‘taking away from Romney’ category. They are Dems in name only and really there are very few who identify themselves that way any more. The Dixiecrats are now reliably voting GOP on almost all levels.
Austin @11… some of the Democrats in VA are old style “Dixiecrats” (plus or minus the racial overtones) and therefor very likely to support Goode.
@ New Federalist, As of last week he had over 10,000 in his possession. They did several most events this past weekend. At the current rate I would assume they have over 11,000 by now. Unless something bad happens to the petitions they will be on the ballot.
@7 I don’t think there are many Democrats who will support Goode. Many of them don’t like his rhetoric. I imagine that Johnson and Stein will still get plenty of Dem support, so I still agree with your analysis.
George- according to the July 1st edition of BAN the CP had collected 6500 signatures against a 10,000 signature requirement due by August 24th. Kevin may have more updated information but I would guess he will make it in VA as an independent.
@8 Kevin, Thanks for the update. George
Goode will be on the ballot. He already has over 10,000 signatures needed but he’s just gathering the excess that will be thrown out now. He should make it no problem.
Not only are Independents and Republicans going to pull the lever for Congressman Goode, but so are many Democrats who voted for Obama in 2008. Critics will claim that Goode (and all of the other 3rd Party candidates, too) are taking votes away from Romney, but Goode is going to get alot of votes from people who have no intention of voting GOP. Let the votes fall where they will…. I’m not casting a “protest vote,” I am voting for the candidate I think best suited for the job, and everyone else should do the same. Republicans may screech that Goode is going to cost Romney the election, but maybe they should nominate a more suitable candidate.
Is he likely to be on the ballot in Virginia?
It looks to me like Romney is doing a fine job of losing the election all on his very own, whether Goode, Johnson et al are in the mix or not.
That won’t stop the GOP establishment from blaming everyone but themselves for their bad decisions, though.
Here is what I posted.
“What a bunch of sheep you “conservatives” are. You bray and bray about RINOs, but when the GOP nominates one you fall in line like a bunch of whipped dogs. Have you no shame? You are the GOP’s kept men. They are going to keep nominating RINOs because they know they have you in their hip pocket. If you want the GOP Establishment to quit serving you up RINOs then prove to them you won’t tolerate RINOs and vote for a conservative third party. Otherwise you will continue to get more of the same.”
Romney loses to Obama in Virginia without Goode, so its a moot point.
The article is interesting, and the comments remind me of the vile and silly comments against Ralph Nader, especially in ’00 and in ’04. The major party flacks get completely hysterical when there is a threat to the dominance of their schtick.
I’m glad the article talked about Goode, but it only mentioned his May numbers, not his new July numbers in Virginia.
What is incredibly frustrating is reading the comments at sites like this.
“You frigging idiot, Goode! You can’t win the election, but you have no problem with helping to hand the election over to Obama. Yes, a third party vote IS a vote for Obama.”
“Wonder what Obama is paying this clown to run?”
“Guys like this make me sick. He looks in the mirror and decides he loves himself so much he just can’t keep himself off the ballot. Besides being a desperate and cynical Democrat ploy—this is just a vanity campaign. “All is vanity” as Shakespeare said.”
“Goode is an idiot bought and paid for by George Soros and the DNC”
It’s sickening.