Rasoul battling despite large Goodlatte lead
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By Ray Reed
Published: October 11, 2008
Perspiration stood on Sam Rasoul’s face as he hurriedly shook hands on an August morning with people at a nuclear-energy seminar at Central Virginia Community College.
The Democratic candidate for Congress in the 6th District had been knocking on doors in a nearby Lynchburg neighborhood before he dashed to the campus.
Rasoul, 27, is the youngest congressional candidate in the nation. He’s running a political marathon that started 21 months ago when his campaign signs popped up beside roads near his Roanoke-area base.
His Republican opponent, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, hasn’t broken a sweat.
Goodlatte, 56, didn’t start making campaign appearances until last week, after the House of Representatives recessed for the year.
“Goodlatte is fairly safe,” said Bob Roberts, a political science professor and analyst at James Madison University in Harrisonburg. “He has a huge lead, which I don’t think is going to change.”
Seeking his ninth term, Goodlatte hasn’t run any TV ads, although he can afford them.
Rasoul, who has owned several small businesses but never run for office until now, doesn’t have the money for television spots. Federal Election Commission records show he raised $190,000 as of June.
Goodlatte had $1.5 million on hand.
Nevertheless, Rasoul has appeared tireless in an uphill battle. His early start discouraged a well-funded Democrat from pursuing the party’s nomination last spring, leaving Rasoul as Goodlatte’s first major opponent in 10 years.
Goodlatte engaged Rasoul in small-scale debates last week in Vinton and in Harrisonburg.
Although the debates weren’t hard-hitting, they were issue-focused — on topics including the economy, health care and the Iraq war. Differences between their positions were minor.
Rasoul passed on the opportunity to confront Goodlatte on issues many Democrats bring up, such as his 1992 term-limits pledge to serve only 12 years in Congress and his frequent votes in favor of President Bush’s
proposals.
Goodlatte doesn’t hide from those critics. He held telephone news conferences with reporters to explain his vote against the financial bailout bill that Congress eventually passed.
“I think it’s important to tell people what we’re doing,” Goodlatte said, adding that he’d have held the news conference even if he were running against a well-funded and experienced opponent.
Local party leaders in the Lynchburg area like what they’ve seen of Rasoul’s work ethic.
“Sam has shown a lot of energy, a lot of determination, and he has worked really hard trying to get his name out there and meet as many people as he can,” said John Lawrence, Democratic Party chairman in Lynchburg.
Working the crowd enthusiastically at CVCC, Rasoul greeted each of the 60 people who had gathered with Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., to hear educators and executives describe Lynchburg’s role in the nuclear industry’s
expansion.
Pollsters give Goodlatte margins of better than 20 percent in the race. Rasoul doesn’t appear to notice.
“He’s very positive about this thing,” Lawrence said, even to the extent of presenting a cordial, issues-based campaign and refusing to directly criticize his opponent.
Established Democratic politicians have seemed a little wary of Rasoul.
For his part, Rasoul has seemed wary of them. He said he has turned down offers of campaign funds from the party’s political action
committees.
When Rasoul criticizes something, it’s usually the impact of lobbyists and special-interest money in politics.
Rasoul wasn’t on the podium when presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke in Lynchburg in August, but instead was seated nearby among other local Democratic players.
Mark Warner, the Democrat who holds a commanding lead in the race for the retiring John Warner’s U.S. Senate seat, hasn’t seemed to position himself too closely to either Obama or Rasoul.
Still, the coattails of Obama and Warner, coupled with tens of thousands of new voters in this presidential year, may be Rasoul’s best hope for a strong showing.
Goodlatte, although he didn’t sound worried, said in a recent interview that a presidential election year “presents an entirely different set of circumstances” from 10 years ago when his race against David Bowers of Roanoke was the top item on that year’s election ballot.
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( margaret ) on October 15, 2008 at 7:51 am
To CKJ, oh yes. The real reason, is why YOU did not tell us your real name.
Did you forget, or are you uninformed, that we live in Central Virginia?
Did you not get it that, the order of the mind is “hidden racism” here?
Rasoul is bad enough to get people riled,and any other names he has, would justify the ‘stupid’,to continue not being informed of his wonderful ideas.
Remember, most old timers here just had their doctors “ask” them to stop using bacon fat in their green beans? To order them, would make them angry, instead of making them ask, “WHY”.
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Posted by ( margaret ) on October 15, 2008 at 7:41 am
I had to laugh when I read “firelaw"s comment.
Simple, true and indicative of the mental confusion that lives in “these thar hills”.
Sad, that only the well informed, via reading, can get that comment.Keep them coming! It’s part of my rehab for ‘cultural shock’.
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Posted by ( Dawn4 ) on October 14, 2008 at 9:24 am
Good Morning,
Yesterday afternoon I wrote and submitted a comment re your article, “Rasoul Battling Despite Large Goodlatte Lead,“ by Ray Reed.
I have not seen it posted in your comment section. Or did I miss it, as I now see only 5 “Reader Reactions” posted. I don’t feel I wrote anything inappropriate.
My comment endorsed Mr. Rasoul and his campaign. I did not endorse Mr. Goodlatte with all his campaign contributions who, is not truly campaigning, as he feels he is a shoe-in for re-election.
Briefly, I wrote how 8-term Goodlatte, over his self-pledged limit in Congress btw, has been extremely instrumental with the Agriculture Industry. This means produce, but especially livestock, esp. concerning Mr. Goodlatte.
He has been on the Agricultural Committe since 2003 and favors the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. (NCBA), American Quarter Horse Assoc. (AQHA), American Veterinary Medical Assoc. (AVMA), to name a few involved with animals and agriculture.
I am wondering if it was a problem that I mentioned the FACTS that Goodlatte receives campaign funds and “favors” from theses groups? And in-turn, favors them in issues against the will of a majority of Americans…and I might say, Congress?
Was offense taken when I wrote of Mr. Goodlatte’s opposing COOL, the mandatory country of origin labeling of produce and meat in America? That he advocated a “loophole,“ attempting to again, benefit the agricultural industry, namely the the Cattlemen..beef Industry, and not America’s food supply.
Maybe it was that I wrote Mr. Goodlatte consistently voted for Downer Cows to be slaughtered and enter our food supply? Or was it that he opposed humane treatment of Downer Cows?
Ah! It just could be that I commented on how Mr. Goodlatte has been the #1 man in government, with a handful of cronies, delaying, blocking, stopping bills to ban brutal horse slaughter for human consumption overseas? And this is when the majority of Americans want a ban along with the majority of Congressional member!
Most recently, In Sept. 08, when the newest ban on horse slaughter bill, HR 6598, passed the Judiciary Committee with an overwhelming Yes to Ban, and also passed the Budget Committee, Mr. Goodlatte got it referred to his Agriculture Committee. And there it came to a halt. Boom!
This was a bill that had a more than excellent chance of being passed. It was almost a given that the slaughter of American horses for overseas consumption would finally end.
However, the Power Brokers of the NCBA, AQHA…lobbyists, all working with Mr. Goodlatte, just might have had a major role to play so an American horse can continue to be butchered every 5 minutes, profiting these organizations and Mr. Goodlatte. It-is-called: GREED.
Mr. Goodlatte’s rationale is so lame, to the point of being laughable. With COOL, he advocated VOLUNTARY labeling by the American Agriculture Industry…to *cut-down on the cost of all the paper-work involved in mandatory labeling. Hey, this way food can still be imported to our Beef Industry, from Lord knows where…and not best for our welfare and heath.
And with the horses? The latest was: If horses are not slaughtered, there will be a major increase of in buzzards in the fields.
Mr. Goodlatte is looks out for himself with his vested, $$$, interest and political games.
The “power” this man has. How does he do it? Most importantly, how does he continue to GET AWAY with it?
Simple: I pad your wallet and the 8-term Repulican will pat ur back, real good.
Very Respectfully Submitted
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Posted by ( Leah ) on October 13, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Those of us in the 6th district should take a look at Goodlatte pro horse slaughter stand.
Horse slaughter is something we all should be ashamed of as United States citizens.
The horses are being shipped to Mexico and Canada in horrid double decker trailers designed for cows, not horses without food or water or resting time.
Both countries are using outdated and inhumane sites in which horses are suffering terrible deaths.
To keep him in office is supporting these cruel and inhumane treatment of our American horses. We must tell those that support such cruel treatment of our horses and that we will not tolerate it anymore.
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Posted by ( fire law ) on October 13, 2008 at 3:16 pm
It’s too bad the people of the district which Goodlatte represents are victims of childhood ingestion of lead paint chips.
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Posted by ( crispy daisy ) on October 12, 2008 at 8:27 pm
CKJ, I assume you have a point but I can’t imagine what it is.
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Posted by ( oldman66 ) on October 12, 2008 at 11:47 am
Ray Reed: Give people “some” credit for following the news to “some” degree. Granted the N/A and WSET are predominantly “slanted” toward “liberal” causes - this article being of prime example.
You write - “..... hasn’t seemed to position himself too closely to Obama or Rasoul”. What a preposterous statement - wasn’t Warner given a “prime-time” slot at the DNC? Didn’t he travel with Obama to Lebanon, VA and in Northern Virginia and Tidewater areas for political rallies? Warner has endorsed Obama at every turn. What action/s does the out-of-state tax and spend liberal have to do to be considered “close”?
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Posted by ( CKJ ) on October 12, 2008 at 9:24 am
Everyone knows that “Bob” Goodlatte’s real name is Robert Goodlatte. I wonder why “Sam” Rasoul never uses his real name on the campaign trail?
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