Goode stays on Presidential ballot - NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News

Former Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode is staying on Virginia's ballot as a Presidential candidate.

Goode is running as a third-party candidate and Republicans fear he could crash their candidate's chances.

Goode is the man who could decide who wins Virginia and the White House.

His name will appear on the Virginia Presidential ballot, after election officials rejected a Republican-led effort to keep him off. Republicans are challenging how Goode collected his signatures to appear on the ballot.

Lauren Bell, a Political Science professor at Randolph-Macon College, says today's ruling by the State Board of the Elections could change the dynamics of an already tight race. The Constitution Party typically attracts conservatives.

"If you're Barack Obama, that's fantastic for you because you just stay out of it and run your campaign the way you've been running it, but if you're Mitt Romney, you have to figure out how you're going to deal with this person who's really targeting the same people you are," said Bell.

Goode may not be a household name nationwide, but he is a familiar face in western Virginia.

"He's well-known, he ran successfully for Congress several times so he's most likely to pick up support there. That could be enough to change the overall statewide vote totals."

What we could see is a similar situation to Florida in 2000. The Green Party candidate Ralph Nader won just a few thousand votes, but George Bush defeated Al Gore by only 500. Many people believe Nader cost Gore Florida and the election.

Republicans in Pennsylvania successfully knocked Goode off their ballot. But Goode will stay on the ballot in Virginia, where he could hurt Republicans the most.

The Attorney General will now investigate allegations of fraud brought up by Republicans.

The election board also voted to allow the Green and Libertarian party candidates to stay on the Presidential ballot.

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