Perriello lead grows

Story by Chris Graham
It’s looking more and more like Tom Perriello is going to be the winner in the tough Fifth District congressional race.

As of 3:45 p.m. Thursday, the Democrat had a 634-vote lead over Republican incumbent Virgil Goode. The margin represents a .2 percent gap among the more than 316,000 votes cast.

“As we’ve said all along, we feel confident that Tom Perriello will be declared the winner in this race,” Perriello campaign communications director Jessica Barba said this afternoon. “Our win margin has been growing wider as the results have been coming in from the official vote tally, and now it appears that we now have a substantial lead in the race. It’s clear that the Fifth District is eager for a change in leadership to stabilize the economy, achieve energy independence, and correct our course in Iraq and Afghanistan. Perriello will deliver that leadership,” Barba said.