State Sen. John McGuire has been certified as the winner of the GOP primary for House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good’s (R-VA) seat, even as Good vows to request a recount in the coming days.
Officials with the Virginia Department of Elections certified the results on Tuesday, showing McGuire with a 0.6-percentage-point lead over Good in the state’s 5th Congressional District primary and defeating the incumbent by just 374 votes. The announcement brings the Republican Party one step closer to resolving a monthslong saga that split House conservatives, resulting in a feud between Good and several of his Republican colleagues.
Under state law, Good has 10 days to request a recount because the margin of victory is under 1 point — a move his campaign has vowed to do.
“The people of our district are reaching out to our campaign demanding that we pursue a recount. Our donors, our volunteers, and our supporters expect it,” Diana Shores, Good’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “This isn’t about Bob Good. This is about the people of the district. We will pursue the recount to settle any questions about the fairness or transparency of the election process. This way, voters can confidently move forward to the general election.”
It’s not yet clear when Good will file for a recount, but Shores told the Washington Examiner the timeline for the recount would be determined by a state judge.
If the results are confirmed, Good will become only the second House incumbent to lose his primary election after Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) lost his primary challenge last week. It would also make Good the first Freedom Caucus chairman to be defeated in a primary or general election race.
Good has only been the leader of the Freedom Caucus since January, but for some House Republicans, his possible exit from Congress is a welcome development.
Good upset GOP colleagues for encouraging other hard-line conservatives to vote against legislation — even bills introduced by his own party. He was also one of eight Republicans who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year.
“I used to be a really proud Freedom Caucus member. But ever since Bob Good and a few others have basically infected the Freedom Caucus — their principles are so misguided, they’re not being conservative,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a former Freedom Caucus member before being removed last year, said. “They’re not really fighting for America First or for even constitutional principles. They’re mostly just fighting against leadership to fight against leadership. Because that’s their identity: fighting against leadership.”
Because the margin is higher than 0.5 point, Good will need to pay for the recount himself, which the caucus chairman said he has the funds to do. Good began soliciting funds from supporters last week to pay for the recount.
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Good has indicated he will accept the results of the recount if it shows “an accurate reflection of the intent of the voters who legitimately and legally participated.”
“Everybody should want that,” the congressman told reporters last week. “We’re going to do what we can to pursue that. And we’ll respect that when that does happen.”