Sunday, November 30, 2008
Editorial: Making sure every vote counts
Goode has every right to request a recount before conceding a razor-close contest.
From the RoundTable blog
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Virgil Goode is not going quietly into the night.
After challenger Tom Perriello's victory over the longtime incumbent in the 5th Congressional District was certified on Nov. 24, Goode announced he wanted a recount.
Some might be tempted to criticize that decision and urge Goode to accept defeat gracefully.
But this was an extraordinarily close election. Perriello's 745-vote margin of victory was a razor-thin 0.24 percent of the votes cast.
Goode is completely within his rights to request a recount to ensure the outcome reflects the actual will of the voters.
There is little chance a recount will change the outcome, though, so Perriello is wise to proceed with his preparations to take office.
Perriello may have wished for a clearer victory so he could celebrate without reservation. But his accomplishment here -- even in the unlikely event the recount changes the outcome -- cannot be diminished.
Goode has been an institution in his district since he was elected in 1996. Until this year, he never had a close election -- even as he veered from conservative Democrat to Republican ideologue, and even as his nativist sentiment took on an unabashedly bigoted tone.
Perriello most likely knocked Goode off that secure perch. At the very least, he has shattered any illusions of political invulnerability for Goode.
Some will argue -- including Goode himself -- that Perriello benefited mostly from President-elect Obama's popularity.
But Perriello believes his victory stemmed from offering positive ideas and promising a non-ideological approach to politics. (Though, really, Tom, it is time to retire the "it's about right and wrong, not right and left" line.)
It will be a few weeks until the recount is complete and 5th District voters know for sure who will represent them.
But Perriello is the certified victor, and he has every reason to celebrate and look forward to the difficult job ahead.
