Goode left the
Democratic Party in 1999, in a final expression of disgust with the party he used to support. Goode was a quintessential conservative
Southern Democrat, representing the socially conservative
Southside Virginia area. Southside is one of the nation's prime
tobacco-growing areas, and the anti-tobacco maneuverings of Democrats like
Henry A. Waxman didn't sit well with Goode's core constituency of small
farmers.
Even before he left the Democratic Party, Goode very rarely voted with the party, siding with the Republicans even on such partisan issues as the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Once Goode went independent, he joined the House Republican Caucus, and attended the 2000 Republican National Convention as an honored guest. One of the most popular stickers at the convention simply read "Virgil!", encouraging him to take the final step and join the Republican Party. The Democrats ran John Boyd against him in the 2000 elections, but local party members defected at will to support their old friend Virgil, and Goode won in a landslide.