On Thursday, August 1st, a recount in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District confirmed that State Senator John McGuire defeated the incumbent Congressman Bob Good, who is the influential chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. The final margin was 370 votes. 🗳️
Initially, the Virginia Board of Elections announced on July 2nd that McGuire narrowly defeated Good by 374 votes in the Republican primary held on June 18th. Good took to Facebook to express his gratitude to the voters, calling it his “supreme honor” to serve them. He pledged to continue serving the constituents to the best of his ability during the remaining five months of his term and to fight for the founding principles and values of the country. ✊
McGuire, who had the backing of former President Donald Trump, posted on X that the recount validated his victory declaration on the primary night. He assured the residents of the 5th District that if they choose him in the November elections, they will have an effective fighter in Congress who can get the job done. 🏛️
According to Virginia state law, a recount is permissible when the margin between two candidates is less than 1%. On June 20th, Good stated on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast that they would conduct a comprehensive recount and investigation. The district being a Republican stronghold almost guarantees McGuire’s victory in November. 🎉
Good’s loss marks the first defeat of an incumbent legislator in the 2024 election cycle. Following this, New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman also faced defeat in the primary for the 16th Congressional District of New York. Good initially supported Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the Republican presidential nomination, opposing Trump, before switching to endorse Trump. 🇺🇸
Since January 10th, Trump has been supporting McGuire in his role as Virginia State Senator. On his social media site Truth Social, Trump referred to the former Navy SEAL McGuire as a “real American hero” who is tough on crime and will protect the military and veterans. Trump emphasized that McGuire will always defend the Second Amendment right to bear arms. 🦅
Trump criticized Good for betraying the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement, calling his endorsement for DeSantis after supporting him too late as the “damage has been done.” Good had earlier declared it was time to stand behind Trump united, following a rally on the courthouse lawn in Powhatan, Virginia, on June 7th. 🌟
Good had the support of members of the Freedom Caucus, including Representatives Chip Roy (Texas), Mary Miller (Illinois), Byron Donalds (Florida), Scott Perry (Pennsylvania), Matt Gaetz (Florida), Ralph Norman (South Carolina), Anna Paulina Luna (Florida), Josh Brecheen (Oklahoma), Lauren Boebert (Colorado), Ben Cline (Virginia), Eli Crane (Arizona), and Eric Burlison (Missouri).
Norman told The Epoch Times that another member of the Freedom Caucus, Representative Warren Davidson, supported McGuire, calling him “conservative and effective” but was subsequently ousted from the caucus. Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia) and Mike Rogers (Alaska), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, also supported McGuire. 🤝
Good was one of eight Republicans who joined all Democrats in October to attempt to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. With Good stepping down, a campaign to replace him as chair of the Freedom Caucus is underway, an unprecedented situation. According to the yet-to-be-disclosed party rules, the chair must be a current member of Congress. 🌐
Good had defeated Congressman Denver Riggleman in 2020 to secure his first term in Congress and was elected chairman in December, taking over from Perry the following month. Furthermore, it has been learned that Norman and Boebert are considering running for the position of Freedom Caucus chair. The election date to choose Good’s successor has not been determined. 🗳️🌟