Al is a 42-year veteran, trailblazer of Virginia's wine growing industry, and founder of a thinktank to research and promote sustainable energy, health care, and education in rural Virginia. He is a principled progressive across the board, and he's challenging Virgil Goode again for the 5th congressional seat in Virginia.
For Immediate ReleaseA recent survey of Virginia's 5th Congressional District by Zogby International reveals only 46% of likely voters believe Representative Virgil Goode (R- Rocky Mount) deserves to be re-elected. On a generic congressional ballot, voters favor the Democratic challenger over the Republican incumbent by 48.5% to 37%.
Crossposted from the Al Weed blog.
Today's Washington Post has an article on Virgil Goode and his MZM entanglements. MZM's Martinsville office is run by a man named Richard Berglund.
According to the filing, Berglund and his wife wrote $4,000 in checks to "Representative A" in March 2005 after MZM's owner, Mitchell J. Wade, handed Berglund an equivalent amount of cash. It says that Berglund gave another $4,000 he received from Wade to two MZM colleagues, who in turn donated it to the congressman.
A new poll from WSJ/Zogby shows Jim Webb has within 6 points of George Allen.
Webb: 43.3
Allen: 48.8
This is big news. Allen below 50 is bad enough, but as RaisingKaine points out, George Allen just ran a bunch of ads all over the state and he was just on incumbent-friendly shows like hardball. Plus Webb is fresh out of a divisive primary with new advertising of his own, and he's barely even started campaigning for the general.
more below...
It's the matchup you've all been waiting for, on a sort of anti-climactic subject, but one of great import to many residents of the VA-05. Personally I think that if Bush would enforce the pre-existing laws, this wouldn't be a problem, but his failure to execute (I think that comes from the root word "executive branch") the laws has once again caused a problem whose only solution just happens to be a political wedge issue. Seriously, anybody notice that happening a lot in the past 6 years?
Here's Virgil's solution for dealing with employers who hire illegal workers:
It is already against the law to hire illegals and the House legislation increases the penalties for hiring illegals. The House legislation would set up a procedure similar to instant check. An employer who checked on someone seeking a job would be absolved of liability if the check showed that the person was legal.
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