Virginia's Rep. Bob Good vs. Trump-backed challenger election still too close to call
With more than 95% of the results for Virginia’s primary election on Tuesday, the outcome of the hotly contested primary race between Republican incumbent Representative Bob Good and state Senator John McGuire was still too close to call.
As of Thursday morning, McGuire led Good by just 324 votes, or just .52%, out of 62,536 votes cast in the Republican primary race for Virginia’s fifth congressional district.
Who are the candidates?
Good, a conservative Republican who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, has represented Virginia’s fifth district since 2020 and is seeking a third term.
McGuire is a Virginia state senator representing the 56th district, which encompasses the north and west of Richmond. Before becoming a state Senator in 2023, he served on Virginia’s House of Delegates.
McGuire claims victory
Despite a still-undecided election, McGuire’s posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday suggested he expects victory.
“Thank you to my family, thank you to everyone who helped out on this campaign, thank you to the people who endorsed and supported me, and thank you to Donald J. Trump for believing in me. There are still a few votes left to count, but it’s clear that all paths end with a victory,” he wrote. “
For his part, Good said that they are still waiting on the results of mail-in and provisional ballots.
“Right now, we’re still waiting on the final election results of today’s Primary,” he posted on social media. “The entire DC Swamp was aligned against us with over $10 million in attack ads, but with your help, we were able to make this race too close to call.”
How Trump shook up the race
Virginia’s 5th Congressional District is a Republican stronghold that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. It would seem a safe place for a conservative congressman like Good to be re-elected.
But Good earned Trump’s wrath after initially endorsing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president. After DeSantis dropped out, he switched to supporting Trump, but the former president endorsed Good’s opponent instead.
“Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA. He turned his back on our incredible movement, and was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and ‘loving’ Endorsement,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “John McGuire has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Later, Trump’s attorneys sent Good a cease-and-desist letter for using the presumptive Republican nominee’s name and likeness on campaign materials.
Once the votes are finally tallied, Virginia law allows for a recount if the margin of victory is less than a percentage point. If the ballot count is within half a percentage point, the recount can be conducted at the state’s expense, according to the Associated Press.