Goodlatte secures ninth term
Republican incumbent Bob Goodlatte beat out the grassroots campaign of Democrat Sam Rasoul to win the battle for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District today.
Goodlatte, from the Roanoke area, has cruised to victory in all of his races since he first won election in 1992. Nationwide, the news Tuesday night was better for Democrats, as they widened the majority in the House that they had secured in 2006.
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| Democratic 6th District candidate Sam Rasoul made a campaign stop in Lexington earlier this month. (CAMERON STEELE/Rockbridge Report) |
The 27-year-old Rasoul campaigned for nearly two years straight, starting just after Goodlatte won 76 percent of the vote in a landslide over two independents in 2006. Rasoul based much of his campaign on a platform of congressional reform, promising to return governmental control to the middle class and vowing not to take special interest or party money in the meantime.
But as Election Day dawned i t was clear it would be a losing battle for the nation’s youngest congressional candidate, an entrepreneur and activist from Botetourt County. Even Rasoul’s supporters acknowledged it would be tough .
“It’s an uphill slog going against an entrenched incumbent,” Mike Oxford, Lexington Democratic Committee chair, said recently. “Folks in this part of Virginia tend to be pretty risk-averse. Bob Goodlatte is what they know.”
With 16 years of experience, Goodlatte is comfortable in the halls of the U.S. Capitol. And he had a lot of support from the traditionally conservative citizens in his district.
“I think Goodlatte’s been a wonderful servant for the community,” Mildred Goughner, a volunteer from the Rockbridge Area Republican Committee, said last week. When asked if she was concerned with Rasoul’s presence in the race, Goughner laughed.
“Oh, no, I don’t think so,” she said.
Goodlatte had the clear fundraising edge over Rasoul and independent challenger Janice Lee Allen. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, he raised more than $1.3 million – with equal parts coming from individuals and political action committees – and had $1.1 million in cash on hand. Rasoul rasied $285,593 and had $87,000 on hand. Allen raised $10,005 – 95 percent of it self-financed – and had about $2,000 in cash on hand.
Even as the heavy favorite, Goodlatte saw the need to raise money. To distinguish himself from the rest of the Republican ticket, GOP 6th District Vice
Chairman Scott Sayre said, Goodlatte focused on his history of bipartisanship.
“He’s got a lot of good policies that make common sense and appeal to both Democrats and Republicans,” Sayre said.
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| Incumbent Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, right, at U.S. Rep. Frank D. Lucas' House hearing in El Reno, Okla., Sept. 18, 2006. (AP Photo) |
But Oxford said despite poll numbers and fundraising amounts, name recognition for Rasoul had increased in Rockbridge County over the past couple of months.
“He’s worked extremely hard and he’s relentless,” he said.
Rasoul spent the past 21 months spreading his name and ideas across the district’s 19 cities and counties.
“We’ve knocked on over 100,000 doors,” he said. “And my wife and I have traveled 100,000 miles across the district trying to bring this message. ”
Rasoul touted his campaign message in Lexington at public and class meetings at Washington and Lee University. But even though those who heard him speak were impressed by his message, few Rockbridge County citizens showed up for the events.
Goodlatte, on the other hand, launched a campaign that left Rasoul’s in the dust. He even gained recognition from observers such as the men’s magazine Esquire, which endorsed Goodlatte for his “independent record on communications and agriculture.”
Goodlatte and Rasoul debated three times throughout the race, once accompanied by Allen . They avoided attacks on each other almost entirely, although Rasoul didn’t hesitate to point out Goodlatte’s broken pledge to serve only six terms.
“When you give your word, that means something. And here you have the incumbent who said ‘I’m going to go, do my job, work hard for you, then I’m leaving.’ Well, he didn’t keep his word,” said Rasoul.
But Goodlatte’s broken promise apparently didn’t dissuade voters. His victory over Rasoul marks the beginning of his ninth term.
Produced by
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journalism students.
Lead Supervisors:
Prof. Brian
Richardson
Prof. Indira Somani
Editing supervisor:
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Reporting Supervisors:
Prof. Doug Cumming
Prof. Indira Somani
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd