Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good Loses Contested Reelection Bid
In Virginia, the House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good faced a narrow defeat in his reelection bid for the GOP nomination in the 5th Congressional District against former state Senator John McGuire. A recount confirmed that Good lost by 370 votes, which was slightly fewer than the original margin of 374 after the initial count from June. Good, known for his strong conservative stance and 100% rating from Heritage Action, had previously opposed several financial and foreign policy initiatives. His candidacy received support from fellow conservatives, while McGuire was backed by prominent Republicans, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Donald Trump, who held a rally for him prior to the election. The election dynamics were influenced by Good’s endorsement of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the presidential race, which may have affected his relationship with Trump. Moreover, McCarthy’s efforts to unseat Good appeared part of a wider strategy to retaliate against Republicans who had previously removed him from the speakership. Establishment groups invested significantly in efforts to defeat Good in the primary.
A Thursday recount by Virginia officials determined that House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good narrowly lost his reelection bid to former state Sen. John McGuire during the commonwealth’s recent primary elections.
The final results from the Good-requested recount confirmed McGuire won the battle to become the GOP nominee for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District by 370 votes. That’s four votes fewer than the 374 vote-lead McGuire had following the state’s initial tally of the June 18 race. The former state senator will now face Democrat Gloria Witt this November.
Good is one of the House’s most reliable Republicans, boasting a 100 percent conservative voting record, according to Heritage Action’s congressional scorecard. In recent years, he has opposed legislation syphoning U.S. taxpayer money to Ukraine, gun control, massive federal spending bills, and reauthorization of federal surveillance tools used to spy on Americans.
Rep. Chip Roy, a fellow Freedom Caucus member, and Sens. Mike Lee and Rand Paul were among several conservatives to endorse Good for reelection.
McGuire received backing from former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former President Donald Trump, the latter of whom held a tele-rally for McGuire prior to Election Day. Trump’s decision to endorse McGuire possibly stems from Good’s decision to support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during the 2024 GOP presidential primary, although the former president has endorsed a Republican this cycle who originally backed DeSantis.
[READ:[READ:The Swamp Is Seeking Revenge On House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good]
Meanwhile, McCarthy’s bid to unseat Good appeared to be part of a “revenge tour” aimed at ousting Republicans who removed him from the speakership last year. When giving McCarthy the boot, Rep. Matt Gaetz, who led the ousting charge, reportedly claimed the then-speaker broke promises he made to the Republican conference when assuming the position in January 2023. Good was among roughly 20 GOP representatives to leverage Republicans’ slim House majority to acquire procedural and legislative concessions from McCarthy following the 2022 midterms.
GOP establishment groups reportedly poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Va.-5 Republican primary to defeat Good.
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