Today… former Congressman Virgil Goode announced that he will not run again for his old seat.

While his decision didn’t necessarily shock me, it does create some interesting implications.

1) Goode would have likely cleared the Republican field if he had decided to run. With him out, there will be likely be several if not many people lining up to take on Perriello.

2) Perriello will be at his weakest in 2010… all freshmen elected officials are. This will only increase the Republican Party’s interest in this seat.

3) To further underscore this point, after 2010 Virginia will face redistricting and it’s likely our end of the state will lose ground. It’s completely reasonable that Congressmen Boucher’s and Goodlatte’s districts will have to expand east, most likely into Perriello’s district. Perriello’s seat may very well be redrawn to include Charlottesville and localities north toward the ever growing Northern Virginia region. So again, defeating Perriello at this time is crucial for the Republicans. If he survives this reelection and his new district is drawn in such a way to make it more favorable to the Democrats, he could be a congressman for life.

4) Goode, while slightly damaged from some of his public statements, still would have been the strongest competitor for the Republicans. He has universal name recognition, a reservoir of good will from his family connections and longtime service to the people of Southside and Franklin County, and the ability to raise money. A re-match between the two would have been on the national radar. With him out, Perriello’s chances of reelection just improved.

5) Having said all that, there are still some Republicans who are likely happy about Goode’s decision. With him announcing this early on, there will be plenty of time to find a stronger competitor to go against Perriello, one who doesn’t have Goode’s baggage.