Virgil Goode

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Virgil Goode

United States Representative from Virginia's 5th district
In office 1997 - present
Preceded by	Lewis F. Payne, Jr.
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	October 17, 1946 Richmond, Virginia
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Lucy Dodson
Religion	Baptist

Virgil Hamlin Goode, Jr. (born October 17, 1946), American politician, is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the Fifth Congressional District of Virginia (map), which takes in the Southside region and extends north to Charlottesville.

1 Early life
2 State politics
3 Congressional career
- 3.1 Bribery Scandal
4 External links

[edit] Early life

Born in Richmond, Virginia, he graduated with a B.A. from the University of Richmond (Phi Beta Kappa) and with a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He also served in the National Guard from 1969 to 1975.

[edit] State politics

Goode served in the Virginia State Senate from 1973 to 1997 as a Democrat representing much of Southside. Goode's hometown is Rocky Mount in Franklin County. He ran for the Senate in 1982 and 1994 and was defeated in the Democratic primary both times. However, Goode wore his party ties loosely. After the 1994 elections resulted in a 20-20 split between Democrats and Republicans, Goode seriously considered voting with the Republicans on organizing the chamber. Had he done so, the State Senate would have been under Republican control for the first time since Reconstruction (the Republicans ultimately won control outright in 1998).

[edit] Congressional career

When Congressman Lewis F. Payne, Jr. retired in 1996, Goode won the Democratic nomination. He won election easily, as his state senate district was virtually coextensive with the southern portion of the congressional district. During his first term, Goode compiled a very conservative voting record, even by Southern Democratic standards. Like many Southern Democrats, he was pro-life, opposed gun control and strongly supported the tobacco industry. However, he was also more willing to support tax cuts than other conservative Democrats.

Goode came under considerable fire shortly after being unopposed for a second term in 1998, when he voted for three of the four articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton. In January 2000, he declared himself an independent, yet caucused with Republicans, who gave him a seat on the Appropriations Committee. He was handily reelected that November, touting himself as a congressman who was "as independent as the people he serves." He officially became a Republican in August 2002 just in time for the primary, making him the first Republican to represent this district since Reconstruction. Republicans had been lobbying him to switch parties since 1998, and reportedly promised him a seat on the Appropriations Committee. For the 2001 redistricting, Goode allied with Republican Bob Goodlatte and Democrat Rick Boucher to ensure that none of them would be put in the same district. Goode's residence in Franklin County is only about 20 miles south of Goodlatte's residence in Roanoke. The counties to the west of Franklin County are in Boucher's 9th district, which had to expand geographically due to lack of population growth. He won his first full term as a Republican in November with 63.47% of the vote [1], and was elected to a fifth term, and his second full term as a Republican, with 63.68% in 2004 [2]. In 2006 Goode won 59% of the vote, with challenger Al Weed garnering 40% of the vote.

The vast majority of Goode's legislative accomplishments come via his seat on the Appropriations Committee, essentially as local initiatives in the Fifth District. He does not enjoy spending time in Washington, and prefers to focus on the retail politics at which he excels. His office has few staff members relative to others on Capitol Hill, and Goode is known to answer the phone himself if no staffer is available. His pet policy initiatives are anti-amnesty immigration reform, the drastic reduction of foreign aid, and the termination of the federal subsidy of tobacco (enacted 2004). He has sponsored bills that permit the use of the U.S. Armed Forces in securing the borders. He voted to authorize the Iraq War and to appropriate the $87 Billion Iraq War supplemental spending bill.

[edit] Bribery Scandal

In 2005, Goode again faced controversy when a major corporate campaign donor, defense contractor MZM, Inc., was implicated in a bribery scandal that resulted in the criminal conviction and resignation of California congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham [3]. Although Goode insisted that his relations with MZM were motivated solely by his interest in bringing high-paying skilled jobs to his district, in December of that year he donated the $88,000 received in MZM contributions to regional charities.

On July 21, 2006 Richard Berglund a former supervisor of the Martinsville, Va. office of MZM Inc., pleaded guilty to making illegal donations to Goode's campagn. Court papers indicated that he and MZM owner Mitchell Wade (who previously pleaded guilty) engaged in a scheme to reimburse MZM employees for campaign donations. [4].

[edit] External links

Preceded by Lewis F. Payne, Jr.	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th congressional district 1997 – present	Incumbent