Goode riddance? Ellison’s Quran challenger appears to be defeated in Virginia

In a Coleman/Franken-style nailbiter of its own, Virginia’s 5th congressional district appears to be on the verge of ousting Republican Virgil Goode (left). In 2006, Goode infamously decried the choice by Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison to be sworn in on a copy of the Quran, citing Ellison’s Muslim faith as evidence that “we need to stop illegal immigration totally and reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard by President Clinton and allowing many persons from the Middle East to come to this country.” (Ellison, while Muslim, was born in the U.S. and converted to Islam.)

Democratic challenger Tom Perriello leads by a slim margin, currently 648 votes; yesterday his lead fluctuated between 31 and 842 votes. The Virginia vote tally won’t be certified until Nov. 24, but Perriello has begun plans for his transition to Washington. Goode has not conceded; he’s holding a press conference at 12:30 CST today. Update: Here’s the text of Goode’s press conference.