Photos by Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times

Tom Perriello hugs supporter Marie Martin after a news conference Friday in Martinsville at which he declared victory over Rep. Virgil Goode.

U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Rocky Mount, said Friday he will continue to watch results from his race against Perriello.

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• Perriello broadens lead over Goode in 5th House District vote tally
• Goode, Perriello still in tight race

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MARTINSVILLE -- Democratic challenger Tom Perriello declared himself the winner of the 5th Congressional District race Friday afternoon, about 68 hours and 15 minutes after polls closed in Virginia,.

With chants of, "Go, Tom, go" resonating, Perriello, 33, hugged supporters and his parents before confidently proclaiming victory over U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Rocky Mount.

"After an incredibly exhausting campaign, and incredibly exhausting canvass, we can now say the outcome is certain -- we will win this race," Perriello told a crowd of about 50 at his Martinsville campaign headquarters.

A Perriello win -- it won't be made official until at least Nov. 24, when the state board of elections is scheduled to certify the vote -- will tip the balance among Virginia's 11 House members back to the Democrats at 6-5. That's the first time that's happened in years. It will also be the first time a congressional incumbent has been ousted in the western part of the state since U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abindgon, beat Republican William Wampler in 1982.

And a congressional incumbent hasn't lost in Southside Virginia in more than 100 years -- if ever.

But Goode, 62, said Friday that Perriello's claim to victory is premature at this point.

Shortly before Perriello's gathering, Goode called a news conference in Rocky Mount to say he would not concede the race until at least Nov. 24, when the board of elections is scheduled to make a count official.

At that point, he said he will then decide if he'll ask for a recount, which would be his option under Virginia election law -- unless the current margin changes dramatically. Right now, Perriello holds a 745-vote lead over the Goode, according to the board of elections' latest count based on the canvasses of registrars in the district.

Goode said he's hoping a "Charlottesville miracle" will happen in the vote count for him -- a reference to a number of votes Perriello picked up in Charlottesville and adjoining Albemarle County, where Perriello lives, during a canvass of the votes there.

Roanoke lawyer John Fishwick said Perriello's margin would be "very hard" for Goode to overcome in a recount proceeding.

The three-judge panel overseeing a recount typically relies on the same printed results sheets used by elections officials in their initial tallies and the canvassing process.

"The courts in Virginia do not like to second-guess elections except under very limited circumstances," said Fishwick, who has handled two recount cases in the past four years.

Fishwick was part of Democrat Creigh Deeds' legal team for the recount in the 2005 attorney general's race, the closest statewide election in modern Virginia history. Republican Bob McDonnell won by 360 votes after a recount requested by Deeds. The three-judge panel that heard the case allowed for a hand recount of paper ballots cast in nine precincts, but denied Deeds' request for a broader review of paper ballots.

Fishwick also represented Nelson County Supervisor Joe Dan Johnson, whose three-vote victory last year was unchanged by a recount proceeding.

"The person who's down wants as broad an inquiry as possible," Fishwick said. "The person who's ahead just wants to read the numbers from the voting machines. In Virginia, judges have generally gone for the latter."

Goode, however, said he doubts the accuracy of the vote totals, citing numerous irregularities.

"It has become clear that there have been a number of reporting irregularities, including the misplacement of paper ballots and tape records from electronic machines and miscalculations of vote tallies," he said. "In fact, almost 20 percent of all the voting precincts in the district had reporting errors."

Goode called for a "thorough and proper voting process" and for the state to look into the problems experienced by precincts on election night.

Perriello said he respected Goode and his family for their decades-long service to the district. He also added that he respects any decision Goode makes in how to proceed after the votes are certified.

Perriello's upset win raised eyebrows across the state, especially among those who believed Goode would reclaim his seat for the sixth time, Perriello's aggressive and thorough campaign aside. Goode has been in state or federal elected office since 1973.

Goode first won election to Congress in 1996 as a Democrat and has been re-elected ever since, even when he changed political parties.

In past elections Goode has seen strong support in his home county of Franklin and rural areas of Southside.

But this year Perriello put together majorities in the more urban areas of the district such as Martinsville, Danville and Charlottesville, and he also trimmed Goode's margins in some counties where Goode has long enjoyed overwhelming majorities.

"We defied the pundits, we defied the odds, through faith and incredible hard work," Perriello said.

Teary-eyed campaign staff and supporters said they always knew the day would come and are confident a recount would deliver the same results.

During his campaign, Perriello promised to work a double shift in Congress, like the many workers in Southside who do the same to support their families.

"That double shift begins today," he said Friday. "We can't waste time. The transition starts today."

To assist in his transition, former 5th District U.S. Rep. L.F. Payne has offered his leadership, Perriello said. It was Goode, then a Democrat, who succeeded Payne in Congress with Payne's help in 1996.

Staff writer Michael Sluss and news researcher Belinda Harris contributed to this report.