Roll Call reports:
With the canvassing process virtually complete in Virginia's 5th district and attorney Tom Perriello (D) ahead of Rep. Virgil Goode (R) by nearly 750 votes, the Democratic challenger declared victory Friday afternoon.
"It looks like the outcome is now certain. We are going to win this race and pull off the upset," Perriello said.
Perriello said his campaign would now be moving into a transition phase and in that effort he has enlisted the help of former Rep. L. F. Payne (D-Va.), who held the seat from 1998 until retiring in 1996. Goode, then a Democrat, won the open seat and succeeded Payne.
Goode disagrees:
Virgil Goode disagrees with that statement. In a statement provided to NBC29 he says, "Any declarations of winners and losers in this race is premature."
Congressman Goode goes on to say: "It is important that we take the time for a fair and thorough process to ensure that every legitimate vote is counted. We remain optimistic that we will prevail when this process is completed."
Goode is best known for his attacks on Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and other Muslims. When Goode was sworn in on a Koran, Goode wrote, "If American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Quran." In an ad this cycle, Goode depicted Perriello as dark-skinned and bearded.