Perriello Gets Oriented in Washington

WASHINGTON-Democrat Tom Perriello is on Capitol Hill for new House member orientation this week looking just as official as any other Congressman-elect as he clings to a 745-vote lead over Republican Rep. Virgil Goode.

Perriello of Ivy, Va., came to Washington Sunday where an official name badge awaited him. Atop it, in all caps, are the words: NEW MEMBER.

Listen to Tom Perriello talk about coming to Washington for the first time as a newly-elected Congressman

"They have us down as the New Member. And we got the official congressional Blackberry," he said while waiting for other new members to pose for the incoming class photo. "Most everyone's treating it as a done deal so we're just going to keep moving forward with that and see how it plays out from (Nov.) 24th on."

The Virginia State Board of Elections certifies results Nov. 24. And while Perriello said he'll be keeping one eye on the vote counting process during orientation week, six-term incumbent Goode has attorneys watching the process to determine whether he will seek a recount.

"We're looking over the tally results," Goode said. "We're taking a look at the situation."

One concern Republicans have raised is with ballots mailed from military service members overseas that were not returned by Election Day, and thus not counted.

Goode and Perriello have not spoken to each other since the campaign.

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"I think he should take part in the orientation," Goode said. "In our class, in 1996, one person was named and the results changed."

While most members took chartered buses from the Hyatt Regency hotel on Capitol Hill three blocks from the Capitol Building, Perriello, 34, walked to the 8 a.m. photo shoot.

"It's just a great experience to take in the feeling of walking up to the Capitol, the humility that comes with seeing that," he said, adding it helped wake him up as well.

The night before, incoming Democrats and Republicans held separate dinners. The Democrats dined by candlelight in the historic Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress with a clear view of the night-lit Capitol dome.

If Perriello's lead holds, he'll be one of three new Democratic members from Virginia in the House. A couple other House races in Ohio and California remain undecided.

"The general sense was, 'Well, Perriello's (race) has been decided. These are more up in the air,'" Perriello said of the Sunday dinner table discussion.

Despite the Democratic landslide victory earlier this month, Perriello said, party leaders encouraged incoming lawmakers to vote their districts' interests first.

"That's the sense they want to drill over and over again: You're here to represent the people of your district more than party or anything else," Perriello said.

Sunday night kicked off a biannual tradition of new members coming to Congress at taxpayer expense for a week-long orientation. The schedule includes a host of briefings on how to run a congressional office, cast a vote, and some do's and don'ts of congressional ethics. Perriello said he's most excited about learning about how to establish district offices in his sprawling Southside Virginia district.

The week in Washington is also a chance for new members to lobby for their committee assignments. Perriello said he is aiming for a slot on Transportation and Infrastructure or Veterans Affairs.

He's also been talking to moderate congressional groups, like the fiscal conservative Blue Dog Democrats and the New Democrats, to see if he may want to caucus with them.

"My head's spinning about all of that," he said.

The recount process set Perriello back a few weeks in some housekeeping details as he also tries to figure out where he'll live come January.

"I want to be up here as much as I need to be to get the job done," he said. "It's a little too far to commute up and back every day."

He said he's looking for "a closet with a bed in it" to hang his hat in Washington. "I want to be down in the district as much as I can to make sure that I'm listening to and communicating with people in the district."

Political scientist Larry Sabato said Perriello would be wise to stay close to the conservative district, which very easily could tilt back to Republicans in 2010.

The Democratic tidal wave of 2008 can be credited with sweeping Perriello and other lesser-known candidates into office, said Sabato of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

"These would not have been candidates who would have won in say 2002 or 2004 -- not a chance," he said. But a hard-working representative, drawing federal dollars and programs to the district can have a clear advantage in the next election.

"Well-used incumbency is worth several percent of the vote," Sabato said.