by Sarah Roderick-Fitch
Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus Virginia Rep. Bob Good has been unseated after losing a recount stemming from a close June primary race.
The congressman conceded after a commonwealth judge determined state Sen. John McGuire the ultimate victor late Thursday evening. Good’s term expires at the end of the calendar year.
The two-term Republican trailed McGuire by 374 votes heading into the recount. As the voter margin is less than 1%, under Virginia law, Good requested a recount at his expense. The recount only shaved four votes off McGuire’s vote tally.
The congressman released a lengthy concession statement following the unsuccessful recount.
He thanked his supporters and highlighted a number of his accomplishments while in office.
“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 over the past 3½ years,” Good wrote.
Leading up to the recount, the outgoing congressman shifted blame for his loss on several factors, including the commonwealth’s open primary. However, it was McGuire who was able to secure the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
The caucus is very conservative, the most right of Republicans. Good’s vote to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and presidential primary endorsement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis drew criticism from colleagues.
McGuire remained silent on Good’s various claims heading into the recount, instead shifting focus to November’s election.
Good failed to mention McGuire’s name in his concession statement, nor congratulated his opponent on his victory. He closed his statement by vowing to continue the “fight for the principles and values upon which our nation was founded.”
Following the recount, McGuire took to social media to thank his supporters and Trump, while affirming his June 18 primary victory. He concluded with a unifying message for GOP voters.
He wrote, “I look forward to working with Trump to defeat Kamala Harris and to helping elect Hung Cao in November. Now is the time to set our differences aside and unite as a party. Together we will Make America Great Again!”
Good is the second House incumbent to lose their seat in a primary this election cycle. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., lost to a candidate who was billed as moderate in the Democratic primary. Bowman is among members of the most left Democrats known colloquially as The Squad, all elected to Congress under the age of 50 and fronted mostly by Reps. Alexandria Ocascio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
McGuire will face Democrat Gloria Witt for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District in November.
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Sarah Roderick-Fitch is The Center Square’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Editor. She has previously worked as an editor, and has been a contributing writer for several publications. In addition to writing and editing, Sarah spent nearly a decade working for non-profit, public policy organizations in the Washington, DC area.
Photo “John McGuire” by John McGuire.
