Virgil Goode facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Virgil Goode
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Lewis Payne
Succeeded by	Tom Perriello
Member of the Virginia Senate from the 20th district
In office December 1973 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	William Stone
Succeeded by	Roscoe Reynolds
Personal details
Born	Virgil Hamlin Goode Jr. (1946-10-17) October 17, 1946 (age 78) Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Constitution (2010–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (2002–2010) Independent (2000–2002) Democratic (before 2000)
Spouse	Lucy Dodson
Children	1
Education	University of Richmond (BA) University of Virginia (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1969–1975
Unit	Army National Guard  • Virginia Army National Guard

Virgil Hamlin Goode Jr. (born October 17, 1946) is an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives for Virginia from 1997 to 2009. He started as a Democrat. Later, he became an independent in 2000. In 2002, he joined the Republican Party. In 2008, he lost his re-election bid to Tom Perriello.

In 2012, Goode ran for president. He was the candidate for the Constitution Party. He received over 122,000 votes.

Early Life and Education

Virgil Goode was born in Richmond, Virginia. His parents were Alice Clara and Virgil Hamlin Goode Sr. He spent most of his life in Rocky Mount. This town is south of Roanoke.

His father was also a politician. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates. He was also a commonwealth's attorney for Franklin County. Together, Virgil Goode and his father represented Franklin County for many years.

Goode went to the University of Richmond. He earned a bachelor's degree there. He then studied law at the University of Virginia School of Law. He was also a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. From 1969 to 1975, he served in the Army National Guard.

Serving in Virginia's Government

Goode grew up supporting the Democratic Party. He started his political career at age 27. He won a special election to the state Senate in Virginia. He ran as an independent candidate. One of his main goals was to support the Equal Rights Amendment. After winning, he joined the Democrats.

Goode was known for his conservative views. He strongly supported the tobacco industry. He also defended gun rights. He even supported Douglas Wilder, who became Virginia's first elected Black governor.

In 1995, the State Senate was evenly split. Goode thought about joining the Republicans. This would have given Republicans control for the first time in many years. His actions made his party share power with Republicans.

Running for U.S. Senate

Goode tried to become a U.S. Senator twice. In 1982, he ran for the seat. He lost the nomination within his party. In 1994, he ran again. He challenged the sitting Democratic Senator, Chuck Robb. He lost this primary election as well.

Becoming a U.S. Representative

Winning a Seat in Congress

In 1996, U.S. Congressman Lewis Payne decided to retire. Goode won the Democratic nomination to take his place. His state Senate district was very similar to the congressional district. He won the election against Republican George Landrith.

In 1998, Goode was re-elected. He ran unopposed, meaning no one ran against him.

Changing Political Parties

Before the 2000 election, Goode left the Democratic Party. He became an independent politician. He told people he was "as independent as the people he serves." He won re-election for his third term.

In 2001, new district maps were drawn. Goode worked with other representatives. They made sure their home areas stayed in their districts. In August 2002, Goode officially joined the Republican Party. He then won re-election as a Republican. He was the first Republican to represent his district since 1889.

He won re-election again in 2004 and 2006.

Losing Re-election

In 2008, Goode lost his seat. He was defeated by Democrat Tom Perriello. The difference was very small, only 727 votes. Goode won most of the counties in his district. However, he lost in the more city-like areas. Perriello was from the Charlottesville area, which helped him win there.

In 2009, Goode announced he would not run for the seat in 2010.

What He Did in Congress

When he first started, Goode had very conservative views. This made him feel alone within the Democratic Party. This was one reason he decided to change parties.

In 2000, he became an independent. He started working with the Republicans. They gave him a spot on the important Appropriations Committee. He officially joined the Republican Party in 2002.

Goode focused on several key issues. He was against allowing undocumented immigrants to become citizens easily. He also supported healthcare for veterans. In 2004, he helped pass a law to give money to tobacco farmers. He also supported sending U.S. troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. He voted to allow the Iraq War in 2002.

Goode also wanted to ban online poker. In 2006, he supported a law to stop internet gambling. He also voted against a plan to reduce troops in Iraq in 2007. He said he was concerned about national security.

Liberty Caucus

Goode was part of the Republican Liberty Caucus. This group of lawmakers had ideas similar to libertarianism. Other members included Ron Paul and Jeff Flake. Goode even donated money to Ron Paul's presidential campaign in 2008.

Campaign Donations

In 2005, a company that donated to Goode's campaign faced problems. This company, MZM, Inc., was involved in a bribery case. Goode said his connection to MZM was only to bring jobs to his district. He later gave the money he received from MZM to charities.

In 2006, a former MZM supervisor pleaded guilty to making illegal donations to Goode's campaign. However, there was no accusation that Goode's campaign did anything wrong.

Committee Work

While in the House, Goode served on the House Appropriations Committee. This committee decides how the government spends money.

Running for President in 2012

In November 2010, Goode joined the Constitution Party. He became part of their executive committee. In 2011, he said he would think about running for president.

Goode officially filed to run for president in February 2012. He was chosen as the party's presidential candidate in April 2012. This happened at their national meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

In October 2012, Goode took part in a debate. He debated with other third-party candidates. Larry King was the moderator for this debate.

See also

• List of American politicians who switched parties in office
• List of United States representatives who switched parties