A recount Thursday confirmed that Virginia Rep. Bob Good, the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, lost the 5th District Republican primary to a state lawmaker more than a month ago.
Good was challenging certified election results that The Associated Press reported found state Sen. John McGuire beat Good by 374 votes in the June 18 primary. The recount narrowed the margin to 370 votes, AP reported.
As recently as Tuesday, Good complained on X about McGuire’s lack of concern about unsecured ballot dropboxes, but late Thursday he acknowledged his loss in a post on Facebook that thanked those who voted for him.
“While I am disappointed in the ultimate outcome, it has been my distinct honor to serve as the congressional representative for Virginia’s 5th District,” he wrote, citing the number of constituent service cases handled and legislative efforts. The post did not mention McGuire.
McGuire is almost certain to join the House next year, as voters in the 5th District tend to vote Republican by a wide margin. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race as Solid Republican. The AP called the race for McGuire following recount results from a circuit court.
McGuire launched a challenge after Good was among the eight House members who voted in October to oust Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as House speaker. Good also endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid, which drew the ire of former President Donald Trump.
Trump endorsed McGuire and sharply went after Good, who shifted to Trump after DeSantis dropped out of the Republican presidential primary.
It wasn’t enough. Trump called Good “bad for Virginia,” and McGuire made “TRUMP ENDORSED” almost as large as his own name on campaign signs.
McGuire was elected to the state Senate last year, and launched his challenge to Good just a week after he was elected. A retired Navy SEAL, he previously served in the state House of Delegates and ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020 and 2022.
While Good had support from his Freedom Caucus colleagues, several other House Republicans backed McGuire, even traveling to the district to appear with the challenger. One Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, bucked the group’s leader and endorsed McGuire.
Good and McGuire each raised about $1.2 million, according to the latest reports to the Federal Election Commission, through May 29. Outside groups also spent about $10.3 million, with about 57 percent going to help McGuire and 43 percent for Good.
Although the AP didn’t officially call the race until after the recount results, Republicans appeared ready to move on to McGuire. He appeared with Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican nominee for vice president, on July 22.
Good has said he would step down as Freedom Caucus chair if he lost the recount, although it wasn’t immediately clear who would take over the role.
Going into the recount, Good was trailing by 0.6 percentage points, and state law says candidates trailing by more than 0.5 points have to pay for the cost of a recount if they request one and do not ultimately win.
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