From the Roanoke Times
When he burst on the political scene about 15 months ago, Tom Perriello appeared to be the same run-to-lose candidate whom Rep. Virgil Goode easily dispatched before.
Perriello, a 33-year-old security advisor with an Ivy League education, had no real retail political experience and was virtually unknown in the larger portion of Goode's 5th Congressional District. And Perriello hailed from the Charlottesville area, considered the most liberal bastion of the largely conservative and rural district. He seemed to be the perfect fit for Goode to successfully portray as a "New York lawyer" -- one of the predominant themes Goode pushed during the campaign.
But as the state board of elections meets Monday to certify the Nov. 4 election results, Perriello is poised to pull off an upset of the most unexpected kind, even in a landslide year for Democrats. Going into Monday's certification, Perriello holds a 745-vote lead over Goode, R-Rocky Mount. Goode has said he will wait until the votes are certified to decide if he'll request a recount.
Not even the most Democratic-leaning pundits believed Perriello was actually going to win the race going into Election Day.
