Perriello Widens Lead Over Goode But Doesn’t Declare Victory

Democrat Tom Perriello’s lead in his race against Rep. Virgil Goode (D-Va.) widened Thursday.

Perriello was ahead of the six-term congressman by 629 votes as of 4:09 p.m., according to the Virginia State Board of Elections. Perriello had a 31-vote lead at the start of the day. As state officials have counted outstanding ballots since Tuesday, the margin has fluctuated; at approximately 3 p.m., the margin was 832 votes.

Perriello’s spokeswoman stopped short of calling the race over in a statement.

“As we’ve said all along, we feel confident that Tom Perriello will be declared the winner in this race,” said Jessica Barba. “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.”