It's Official: Va. Democrats Gain in U.S. House

Goode easily won reelection since first being elected in 1996. Democrats say this year he failed to address concerns about jobs in the economically distressed Southside. In recent years, South-Central Virginia has seen a once-booming tobacco industry decline and textile and furniture factories shuttered. Thousands of jobs have moved overseas, leaving the area with the state's highest unemployment rate.

Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath), who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor and whose district overlaps the 5th Congressional District, said that Goode failed to focus on the economy and jobs, the way Perriello did.

"If Tom stays in touch with the district, he can be congressman as long as he wants to be," Deeds said.

Goode attributed the election results to Obama's appeal and increased turnout among young voters in the Charlottesville area. But Perriello, who talked about investing in infrastructure and workforce development, said his win holds a deeper meaning for the district.

"It's about right and wrong, not right and left," he said.

The State Board of Elections announced that Perriello defeated Goode by 745 votes out of more than 316,000 cast -- a margin of 0.24 percentage points that entitles Goode to a recount at taxpayer expense. The recount will likely stretch into mid or late December.

A three-judge panel oversees the recount. Paper ballots will be recounted by hand. Machine results will be recalculated using printouts. Officials will rerun optical scan ballots, tabulating only votes for the House race.

U.S. District Judge Richard L. Williams will consider whether the state should count late overseas absentee ballots. Goode said the votes should count, but he does not know if they will change the result. A U.S. District Court hearing in Richmond is set for Dec. 8.

Researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.