Virgil Goode has not gotten much attention from the press or pollsters in his quixotic quest to disrupt the Virginia theater of the presidential race. PPP's recent poll ignored Goode & Gary Johnson when it showed Obama+2 in VA. This race is close enough that the presence of two candidates with the capacity to siphon votes from Rmoney on the VA ballot could swing the VA EV's to Obama. The NYT did a piece last week on Johnson's campaign last week which included a bit on Goode but there has been a dearth of information on Goode's impact on the campaign. PPP included Goode & Johnson in an October 7 poll showing Goode with 1%, Johnson with 4% and boosting Obama's lead by 1% overall from 3% to 4% with the inclusion of those two in that race. Why PPP has chosen to leave them off their latest poll is a "Goode" question. He is on the ballot in more than 20 states as the Constitution Party candidate but Virginia is the place this favorite son may actually sway the final tally.
For all the hand wringing, pearl clutching, and insomniatic mind racing that has made it's way into various diaries about polls and polling methodologies here I am surprised about the lack of Goode data in VA. It would be interesting to hear if anyone in Virginia, especially in Goode's congressional district, have any comments on the state of his campaign. In a campaign that is too close to call where even one swing state could tip the balance of the entire race I find the Goode meme worth at least some attention. Every time I read some whining complaint about polls that someone finds objectionable I wonder if uncovering something that really is absent from the cross tabs, like Goode's influence on the VA ballot, might help settle some stomachs.