RICHMOND — The Republican major race between Home Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good and state Sen. John J. McGuire III in Virginia’s fifth Congressional District is formally too near name, the Related Press declared Monday, almost per week after voters went to the polls.
Native elections officers within the deep-red central Virginia district had been wrapping up their canvass of the outcomes of the June 18 major, discovering that McGuire and Good had been neck and neck, with McGuire main by simply 373 votes. The outcomes now head to the state for certification, a step wanted earlier than an anticipated recount can proceed.
The competition between the 2 ultraconservatives was a heated one, with former president Donald Trump and institution forces who had sought to oust the hard-right incumbent backing McGuire. Whereas McGuire claimed victory about 4 hours after polls closed on June 18, Good didn’t concede that night time and shortly started elevating considerations concerning the integrity of the election.
The race had already been anticipated to go to a recount, which state regulation permits the obvious loser to request if the margin of victory isn’t better than 1 p.c of whole votes forged. The state picks up the tab if the margin isn’t better than 0.5 p.c. McGuire’s unofficial 373-vote lead is out of 62,741 votes forged, placing the margin at 0.59 p.c. The recount course of wouldn’t start till state officers certify the outcomes.
McGuire once more claimed victory in a written assertion issued shortly earlier than 5:30 p.m. Monday. “I’m so honored that you just’ve chosen me as your subsequent Congressman,” he wrote. “The ultimate tally of votes are in, and the result of the fifth District election has been confirmed. I’m trying ahead to November and changing into a part of the America First victory not solely in Virginia however throughout the nation.” Trump took to Reality Social on Monday night time, additionally declaring McGuire the winner.
Good didn’t instantly situation an announcement. Final week on X, he stated he discovered it suspicious that polling locations in three jurisdictions had hearth alarms go off on Election Day. On Monday, he instructed former Trump White Home adviser Stephen Ok. Bannon {that a} drop field on the Lynchburg registrar’s workplace had been “left to be stuffed for 2 or three days after the election.”
“We’ve bought knowledge considerations that we are able to show the place the tendencies and the info simply don’t make any sense,” he stated on Bannon’s “Warfare Room” program, on which Good additionally sought donations for the recount effort. “I’m not going to get into particulars on these as a result of we don’t wish to tip our hand to the opposition.”
Officers with the Lynchburg registrar’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark Monday.
Over two phrases in Congress, Good has gained a nationwide repute as an unyielding conservative, one among eight Republicans who teamed up with Democrats to oust Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the Home speakership. Good’s obstructionist ways as head of the far-right Freedom Caucus have pissed off more-pragmatic Republicans in Congress however have typically performed nicely in his rural district, the place gumming up the works in Washington is one thing of a badge of honor.
However Good drew the ire of Trump — and a major problem from McGuire — by endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president in Might 2023, backing Trump solely after DeSantis dropped out in January. Good’s rationale: DeSantis was extra conservative than Trump on points akin to abortion and weapons. Good additionally stated the “baggage” of Trump’s numerous indictments — together with the New York hush cash trial wherein he was later convicted — might price him the race.
Trump known as Good a backstabber, endorsed McGuire, made a TV advert for the challenger and known as in to his tele-rally the night time earlier than the election. On the identical time, Good confronted well-funded assaults from McCarthy and mainstream Republican teams.
Good contended the institution money gushing McGuire’s method proved that his challenger was a RINO (Republican in title solely), whereas McGuire claimed that Good was a closet average as a result of he had teamed up with Democrats to oust McCarthy.
In fact, each are hard-right figures who’ve typically stood with Trump, together with backing his false claims that Democrats stole the White Home in 2020. Good voted towards certifying the 2020 election and rallied exterior the Justice Division on behalf of Capitol riot defendants.
McGuire, who flies Trump flags off the again of his Ford pickup, attended Trump’s “Cease the Steal” rally in D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, (with out, he says, storming the Capitol) and has promoted an area exhibiting of “2000 Mules,” a discredited movie that purports to indicate voter fraud within the 2020 election.
“There was no precept that McGuire was espousing aside from [avenging] the non-public affront to Trump,” veteran Richmond political analyst Bob Holsworth stated.
The race made for odd political alliances, with Trump, McCarthy and various institution forces equally bent on booting Good. Additional scrambling the image: Whereas some outstanding Trump allies akin to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) campaigned within the district for McGuire, others broke with the previous president to help Good. Bannon and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), as an illustration, individually traveled to the district to headline rallies for the incumbent.
A number of “weird crosscurrents” made the race “actually difficult to foretell,” in response to Zack Roday, a Republican strategist who lives within the district however was not concerned with both marketing campaign.
“Donald Trump endorsing remains to be an enormous deal. That’s a tough vertical to beat,” he stated. “However he’s additionally endorsing towards an incumbent that’s not a RINO, that doesn’t have an egregious vote.”
A strong floor recreation appeared to assist Good keep aggressive regardless of having opposing wings of the GOP united of their want to unseat him, Roday stated.
“Clearly, Bob Good had an excellent group, he’s very nicely preferred by the grassroots, and he’s bought die-hard volunteers and supporters who respect his stands in Congress. They’d respect that he’s towards the [former] speaker and holding a tough line,” he stated. “That enables for depth.”