"U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-5th, and Democrat Al Weed have agreed to a series of debates in their campaigns to be the 5th District’s next congressman. The candidates, however, have not determined how many debates to have, or where and when they will have them.

Goode challenged Al Weed to the debates in a press release his campaign sent out Wednesday afternoon. The release listed Charlottesville’s Senior Statesmen Forum - scheduled for Aug. 9 - as one likely site for a debate.

“I look forward to debating Al Weed in Charlottesville and to debating him in other parts of the district this campaign season,” Goode said in his press release, which invited civic organizations across the district to contact his office about hosting a debate in their area.

Goode said Wednesday that he was looking forward to a series of five debates at locations in Southside Virginia, Central Virginia and the 5th District’s eastern end.

“It’s important to hear what a candidate’s ideas are,” Weed said Wednesday, as he quickly accepted Goode’s invitation.

Goode and Weed faced off in eight separate debates and candidate forums during the 2004 election season. Weed said Wednesday he was looking forward to having six or seven meetings this election season, including two possible televised events and one broadcasted on the radio.

Weed said there were three “traditional” locations for debates in the 5th District.

The list includes Charlottesville’s candidate forum, an event at Hampden-Sydney College near Farmville, and an event hosted by Danville’s American Legion Post 325. No one at Post 325 could be reached Wednesday about the possibility of hosting a debate.

“If others are interested, they can submit a request,” Goode said, encouraging other civic organizations in the district to host an event.

Weed said he hoped to talk about the war in Iraq, jobs and the economy, gas prices and the country‘s health care system during the series of debates. He said these were the issues 5th District residents he met on the campaign trail seemed to care the most about.

“It really depends on what are the hot topics of the day,” Goode said, adding he hoped to talk about the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research, proposals to give illegal immigrants citizenship and the Second Amendment." (Mac McLean, Danville Register & Bee, July 27, 2006)