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Op-ed in the Ripon Forum
Jesse Richman, 8/21/2012

My op-ed analyzing the 2012 Virginia elections was just published online in the Ripon Forum.  The paper copy will be sent out next week.  One important aspect of the Virginia presidential election which I discuss in the op-ed is the candidacy of anti-free trade candidate Virgil Goode (Conservative Party).   

One wild card in the Virginia presidential contest is Constitution Party candidate (and former VA 5th District Congressman) Virgil Goode. Goode's platform is broadly conservative, although his position against free trade agreements has the potential to draw support from voters dissatisfied with the trade actions and positions of both parties. Goode appears poised to qualify for ballot access, as his campaign claimed on August 1, 2012 to have collected more than 18 thousand signatures, nearly twice the ten thousand required under Virginia law.

Goode has the potential to spoil Romney's electoral prospects. He retains a base of support in the 5th district, although he is relatively unknown in other parts of the state. Polls have put Goode at 5 to 9 percent of the statewide vote if included on the ballot, with most of those votes coming from Romney.

 The entire op-ed can be read at http://www.riponsociety.org/forum123jr.htm