Tom Perriello

Infobox Congressional Candidate
honorific-prefix =
name = Tom Perriello
honorific-suffix =


state = Virginia
nominee = U.S. Representative for Virginia, 5th District
incumbent = Virgil Goode
opponent = Virgil Goode (R)
election_date = November 4, 2008
place of birth = Albemarle County, Virginia
date of death=
place of death=
spouse =
party = Democratic
residence = Albemarle County, Virginia
alma_mater = Yale University
profession = Attorney
religion = Roman Catholic
website = [http://www.perrielloforcongress.com/ www.perrielloforcongress.com]

Thomas Stuart Price 'Tom' Perriello is an American public entrepreneur and the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives from the fifth district of Virginia.

Perriello, a resident of Albemarle County, is currently a guest lecturer at the University of Virginia School of Law where he teaches a course on transitional justice. He has spent much of his career working in West Africa and the Middle East to create strategies for sustainable peace, and he was involved in the peace processes that helped end the civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia. [cite news |url=http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=12367 |title=Perriello wants to bring changes |first=Shawn |last=Hopkins |work=Martinsville Bulletin |date=2008-01-23 |accessdate=2008-05-18 ] As a public entrepreneur, he has helped to launch organizations and movements focused on social justice and human rights. He is a founding partner of Res Publica (now Avaaz.org), which develops innovative solutions to global justice and security threats, and of [http://www.catholicsinalliance.org Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good] , which has worked since the 2004 election to help balance and expand the faith and values discourse in America. The 2008 congressional race is Perriello's first run for elected office.

Biography

Born and raised in Albemarle County, Perriello attended Murray, Meriwether Lewis, Henley and Western Albemarle High School in the county school system, and then graduated from St. Anne's-Belfield School. He received both his B.A. (1996) and J.D. (2001) from Yale University. From 2002-03, Perriello was special advisor to the international prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, where he worked with child soldiers, amputees, and local pro-democracy groups, and helped to prosecute warlords. [cite news |url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/local_govtpolitics/article/perriello_enters_race_for_5th_seat/1944/ |title=Perriello enters race for 5th seat |work=The Daily Progress |first=Bob |last=Gibson |date=2007-10-06 |accessdate=2008-05-18 ] He then became Special Advisor and spokesperson for the international prosecutor who indicted Liberian dictator Charles Taylor and helped force him from power peaceably. He has been a consultant to the International Center for Transitional Justice in Kosovo (2003), Darfur (2005), and Afghanistan (2007) where he worked on justice-based security strategies. Perriello has also been a fellow at The Century Foundation and consultant to the National Council of Churches of Christ. He helped to launch [http://www.faithfulamerica.org FaithfulAmerica.org] , Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and is a co-founder of [http://www.darfurgenocide.org DarfurGenocide.org] and Avaaz.org, an international on-line community of 3.3 million members, operating in 12 languages, dedicated to building a global response to "problems without borders" such as climate change. He has also worked with the Rev. James Forbes on prophetic justice principles. [cite news |url=http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/southside/article/pastor_calls_poverty_weapon_of_mass_destruction/5035/ |title=Pastor: Poverty 'weapon of mass destruction' |work=Danville Register & Bee |publisher=(via WSLS-TV) |first=Bernard |last=Baker |date=2008-02-05 |accessdate=2008-05-18 ]

2008 election

Perriello is challenging six-term Republican congressman Virgil Goode who made headlines in 2006 for his comments regarding Congressman-elect Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Islam, the Bible, and immigration. In his bid for Congress, Perriello is calling for a restoration of America's commitment to the common good. He has twice broken fundraising records for the districtFact|date=May 2008 and out-raised Virgil Goode in 2007 and the first quarter of 2008.cite news |url=http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/147783 |title=Democrat says time is right |first=Ruth L. |last=Tisdale |work=The Roanoke Times |date=2008-01-20 |accessdate=2008-05-18 ] [cite news |url=http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/politics/article/virgil_goode_challenger_pulls_in_big_bucks/8073/ |title=Goode challenger pulls in big bucks |work=Danville Register & Bee |publisher=(via WSLS-TV) |date=2008-04-01 |accessdate=2008-05-18 ]

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has targeted the Goode-Perriello race, partly based on the level of local fundraising. On August 1, the race was named to the DCCC's Red to Blue Program. This signifies that it is viewed as one of the Democrats best chances for pickups in 2008. [cite news |url=http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/national_democratic_party_added_goode_periello_race_to_target_list/8141/ |title=National Democratic Party added Goode-Periello race to target list |first=Ray |last=Reed |work=The News & Advance |publisher=(via WSLS-TV) |date=2008-04-02 |accessdate=2008-05-18 ] [cite web |url=http://dccc.org/page/content/races_south |title=2008 Races
publisher=Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee |accessdate=2008-05-18 ] Although CQ Politics consider it "likely Republican", Cook "likely Republican", and Rothenberg "at limited risk", [cite web |url=http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=district-VA-10 |title=U.S. House, Virginia - 10th District |work=CQ Politics |accessdate=2008-07-17 ] [ [http://www.cookpolitical.com/races/house/chart.php Cook Political Report] ] [ [http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.blogspot.com/2008/05/2008-house-ratings.html Rothenberg Political Report] ] the "Roanoke Times" reported "Goode said this race will be the toughest he has faced since first being elected."

Democratic Governor Tim Kaine carried the district narrowly in the 2005 gubernatorial election. [cite web |url=http://www2.sbe.virginia.gov/web_docs/Election/results/2005/nov2005/html/d_03.htm |title=General Election- November 8, 2005 |publisher=Virginia State Board of Elections |accessdate=2008-05-18 Official results by congressional district.]

ee also

*Virginia's 5th congressional district

References

External links

* [http://www.perrielloforcongress.com/ Tom Perriello for U.S. Congress] "campaign website"
* [http://opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?ID=VA05&Cycle=2008 Campaign contributions] at OpenSecrets.org
*dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Virginia/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Candidates_and_Campaigns/US_House/Congressional_District_05/Tom_Perriello_%5bD%5d
*Perriello, Tom [http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2007/10/30/applying_conviction_politics_t/ Applying Conviction Politics to Iraq] , "TPM Cafe", October 30, 2007.