Draft Tom Perriello for Senate in 2012

Now that Jim Webb has announced his decision not to run for reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2012, Virginia Democrats are turning their thoughts to who might be the best candidate to replace him on the ballot.  With that in mind, we would strongly argue that there is nobody more respected, principled, honest, intelligent, hard-working, and courageous than Tom Perriello.  As the Roanoke Times editorial page wrote after Perriello’s defeat in 2010, “Perriello lost at the polls Tuesday, but in his single term in the House, he showed the character the country needs in its leaders, and so rarely gets.” In that same editorial, the Roanoke Times added, “Perriello took political risks to do what he was convinced was right for the people he represented -- a quality voters say they want, but are not inclined to reward. It cost him his seat, but secured his reputation as a man of integrity and grit, willing to elevate the public good over personal ambitions.”

For all of those reasons and more, we strongly support Tom Perriello for U.S. Senate in 2012. We urge him to run, and we urge everyone – Democrats, Independents, and reasonable Republicans - to support him!