Golden tweets Ron Paul meeting

"Going to see Rep. Ron Paul of Texas tomorrow. Should be fun, he's a great man."

That seemingly innocuous comment Monday on Twitter by independent candidate Kenny Golden could have wide-ranging effects in this year's 2nd Congressional District race.

Fundraising records show Golden trailing fellow candidates -- incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye, and Republican Scott Rigell -- in the three-way contest.

And Pilot reporter Bill Bartel's coverage Wednesday reveals that Rigell is unwilling to participate in debates that include Golden unless polls show the independent candidate with solid voter support.

(Excluding Golden from debates could further marginalize him and deny him access to some forums that likely will have strong voter attendance.)

But an endorsement from U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, which Golden said he requested during a meeting with the Texas Republican Tuesday in Washington, D.C., could enhance his profile in a contest against two better-funded foes.

The libertarian-leaning Paul has a loyal following, particularly on the right side of the political spectrum.

His nod coupled with the Hampton Roads Tea Party's tepid response to Rigell could be a boon to Golden, a retired Navy veteran and former Virginia Beach GOP official.

That scenario is highly speculative, of course, and Paul's political people didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.

But it bears monitoring.

-- Julian Walker

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.