Virgil Hamlin Goode Jr. (/ˌɡuːd/[1] born October 17, 1946) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 5th congressional district of Virginia[2] from 1997 to 2009.

At the age of 27, he won a special election to the state Senate from a Southside district as an independent after the death of the multi-term Democratic incumbent, William F. Stone.

He supported the tobacco industry, worrying that "his elderly mother would be denied 'the one last pleasure' of smoking a cigarette on her hospital deathbed.

"[8] Goode ardently defended gun rights while also enthusiastically supporting L. Douglas Wilder, who later became the first elected black governor of Virginia.

At the Democratic Party's state political convention in 1985, Goode nominated Wilder for lieutenant governor.

[14] For the 2001 congressional redistricting, Goode allied with Republican Bob Goodlatte and Democrat Rick Boucher to ensure that none of them would be put in the same district.

He won re-election to a fifth term with 64% of the vote, defeating Vietnam War veteran and businessman Al Weed.

Goode mostly held his own in the district's strongly conservative southwestern portion, parts of which he had represented for 35 years at the state and federal level.

[23] Like many Southern Democrats, Goode strongly opposed abortion and gun control and vigorously supported the tobacco industry.

[7] Goode came under considerable fire shortly after being unopposed for a second term in 1998, when he voted for three of the four articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton.

[27] Other members at that time included Ron Paul of Texas, Jimmy Duncan of Tennessee, Walter B. Jones of North Carolina, Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Zach Wamp of Tennessee, and Jeff Flake of Arizona.

[29] In 2005, Goode faced questions when a major corporate campaign donor, defense contractor MZM, Inc., was implicated in a bribery scandal that resulted in the criminal conviction and resignation of California congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

On July 21, 2006 Richard Berglund, a former supervisor of the Martinsville, Virginia office of MZM Inc., pleaded guilty to making illegal donations to Goode's campaign.

In 2006, Minnesota's 5th congressional district elected Keith Ellison as the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

[34] On his first day in office, Ellison sought out Goode and initiated a cordial exchange on the House floor.

Goode argued that such visas would allow people "not from European countries" or from "some terrorist states" to enter America.

The Danville Register & Bee reported that Goode's press secretary as well as his wife Lucy were both on the founding board of the North Theatre.

Virgil Goode checked with the House ethics committee, before Duncan or his wife Lucy went onto the North Theatre board.

[41] In June 2009, it was revealed that political scientist Larry Sabato, of the Center for Politics, had been the recipient of over $7 million in earmark money from Goode, who Sabato predicted would win re-election in 2008, despite declining poll numbers; Goode ultimately lost the race by a small margin.

[42] Some observers have suggested that Sabato should have revealed his financial connection to Goode or recused himself from making predictions about the race.

[44] He told the Roanoke Times in June 2011 that he would "consider [running for the party's presidential nomination] as the year progresses.

[47][48] On October 23, 2012, Virgil Goode, along with Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, and Rocky Anderson participated in a debate moderated by Larry King.