Virgil H. Goode Jr.

Background

Goode, 56, was a Republican congressman from Virginia from 1997 to 2009 and a Virginia state senator for 24 years before that. A former Democrat, Goode was briefly an independent before joining the GOP. He graduated from the University of Richmond and the University of Virginia School of law, and is married.

Issues

Goode supports a smaller and less costly government structure. He calls that vital to the nation's future prosperity. Goode says the next president must impose a balanced budget right away. He proposes deep cuts for nearly every department and agency and elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts and No Child Left Behind programs. He would not reduce funding for Veterans Affairs, however. Goode says he believes that illegal immigrants take jobs from U.S. citizens and calls for a moratorium on issuance of green cards until unemployment falls below five percent. Goode's vice presidential running mate is Jim Clymer.