It was a bummer to see Tom Perriello lose in Virginia’s 5th District — not that it was a surprise, given the national mood. But I have a special interest in Virginia’s 5th, because it contains Charlottesville, where I went to school and spent eight years, and I particularly liked Perriello, who took the district back for the Democrats two years ago: he’s my age, and he’s wonky and smart, with an Ivy league background. He seemed like such an uncharacteristic representative of southside Virginia, which makes up the majority of the district, the largest Congressional district by area in the state. He was a particular favorite of Obama’s, too.

He won 80 percent of the Charlottesville vote last night and 57 percent of the surrounding Albermarle County vote, but he lost the race overall, 50.75 percent to 47.05 percent.

More about Perriello’s loss from the Cavalier Daily (UVa’s newspaper) and the Daily Progress (Charlottesville’s newspaper).