Dateline Washington

As President Obama and likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney remain locked a virtual dead heat, is there any room for a third party to make a statement or even be competitive in 2012? That's the hope of the Constitution Party and its nominee, Virgil Goode. The 65-year-old Goode was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1996, left the party in 2000 and caucused with the Republicans. He officially ran as a member of the GOP in 2002 and lost his seat in the 2008 election. As the Constitution Party nominee, Goode tells us the biggest issues driving his candidacy - namely our soaring debt and lackluster job creation. Goode says Obama's spending is completely out of control but Republican proposals are also not good enough because he says the budget needs to be balanced now and not in a few years or a couple of generations from now. He expects a fierce fight with Congress about cutting spending, but his plan would not focus on entitlement reforms. Instead, Goode envisions big cuts in discretionary spending - both in the defense and domestic portions of the budget. When it comes to jobs, Goode's top priorities are to end illegal immigration and nearly put a stop to legal immigration in order to prevent foreign workers from competing with Americans for the job opportunities that exist. Goode says he would also seek to repeal Obama administration regulations that he says are stifling job creation. He would start with the Obama health care laws which Goode considers the most repressive to job creators. The former congressman says he is not a spoiler in the race but is a much needed voice on fiscal responsibility, ending government programs for illegal immigrants and other issues.