Goode now the apparent winner in the 5th

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As the dust starts to settle at last in the seesaw battle in Virginia’s 5th Congressional district, Republican incumbent Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. appears to have claimed a narrow victory.

How narrow?  The latest vote totals from the State Board of Elections show the Rocky Mount lawyer with a 145-vote edge over Democratic challenger Tom Perriello of Albemarle County.  There were nearly 315,000 votes cast.

Goode issued a press release today when totals showed his lead at about 300 votes.  As reported by the Roanoke Times, Goode claimed that his team had checked the numbers and found them reliable.  That was before the SBE’s numbers changed and the lead slipped to 145.

Perriello, a U.Va. law professor, remains confident, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.  He said that he expects to pull ahead when provisional ballots are counted.

It would seem that a recount is likely.

By Peter Vieth

UPDATE:

As of 2:04 p.m., Goode’s lead had dropped to 110 votes.

RE-UPDATE:

As of 2:20, the Goode lead was six votes.  Just six.  Out of more than 315,000 votes cast.

If this reflects counts of provisional ballots, you have to wonder how many more there are to count.

ANOTHER UPDATE:

Perriello now leads by 30 votes, as of 2:59.