Nail-biter in Virginia’s Fifth District GOP primary too close to call
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Too close to call!
The contentious Republican primary race between Trump-backed candidate John McGuire and powerful incumbent Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District became a nail-biter Tuesday night as only about a half percentage point separated the two.
McGuire, a state senator endorsed by former President Donald Trump last month, held the slimmest of leads over Good, the powerful House Freedom Caucus chairman, nearly four hours after polls closed.
His 50.23% to 49.77% advantage over the GOP hardliner would be narrow enough for Good to request a recount, paid for by the state.
Good would also be able to request a recount — but have to pay for it — if the margin were to expand to between .5% and 1%.
As election returns came in — swinging the race back and forth late into the night — a mood of nervous anticipation filled the room at McGuire’s campaign watch party where the candidate spent most of the night backstage.
McGuire came out only once, early in the night, to check the microphone on stage.
Campaign advisers and supporters scurried behind the two American flags and the curtains behind the stage several times as the race shifted between McGuire leading, then trailing and then leading again, presumably to check on the 55-year-old former Navy SEAL.
The watch party, held at The Virginian Hotel in Lynchburg — one of the nicest in the city — drew around three dozen McGuire supporters, eager to hear a victory speech.
“There are still a few votes left to count, but it’s clear that all paths end with a victory,” McGuire told his supporters just before midnight, as he held a less than 400 vote edge over his opponent.
“Folks in the 5th District can rest assured that should they elect me in November, they will have an effective fighter in Congress who will get the job done for them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Good, 58, is hoping to avoid becoming the first incumbent to lose to an outside challenger this election cycle.
He has represented the Fifth District, which includes the cities of Charlottesville and Lynchburg, since 2021.
Good did not address the media or his supporters Tuesday night, opting to instead release a statement on X.
“The entire DC Swamp was aligned against us with over $10 million in attack ads, but with your help we were able to make this race too close to call,” the congressman said in a note released before McGuire claimed victory.
“No matter the outcome, you’ve shown the DC Swamp that you won’t back down from standing for what’s right,” he added.
Good drew the ire of Trump when he endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the GOP presidential nomination last May.
“Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA!” Trump raged on Truth Social Monday, campaigning against the incumbent GOP rep.
“He turned his back on our incredible Movement, and was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and ‘loving’ Endorsement – But really, it was too late!” he added. “The damage had been done.”
The presumptive GOP nominee for president endorsed McGuire last month.
“John, who fought the Cartels on the Front Line, and then came home and fought the drug dealers in Virginia, will ALWAYS PUT AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said of the former Navy SEAL in a Truth Social post, painting McGuire as more conservative than Good.
“He is strong on crime, will protect our great Military/Vets, and will always defend our under siege Second Amendment,” he added.
The Trump campaign warned Good in May to stop producing and displaying materials “that give the false impression” he has the former president’s endorsement after yard signs appeared in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District with the presumptive Republican nominee for the president’s name on top of Good’s name.
Aside from Trump’s backing, McGuire – a staunch supporter of Israel – was also endorsed by the influential Republican Jewish Coalition in response to Good “shamefully” voting against a $95 billion emergency spending that included $17 billion in military assistance for Jewish State.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Good’s fellow Freedom Caucus member Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) were among other GOP notables also supporting McGuire’s campaign.
Good was one of eight Republican members of Congress who voted last October to oust McCarthy.
He assumed the chairmanship of the Freedom Caucus this past Jan. 1, succeeding Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.).
The winner of the 5th District GOP primary will face Democratic businesswoman Gloria Witt in November, a race the Republican side is favored to win.
Elsewhere in the Old Dominion state, retired Navy Capt. Hung Cao won Virginia’s Senate GOP primary and will take on Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in the general election.
Cao, who was born in Vietnam, received Trump’s endorsement in May. He easily defeated a crowded field of GOP candidates, receiving about 65% of the vote in a race where none of his other opponents topped 10%.
“Thank you Virginia! For our win to coincide with the date of Joe Biden’s amnesty for illegal immigrants highlights the stakes of this November’s election,” Cao said in a victory statement.
“For women like Laken Riley and Rachel Morin, the Biden-Kaine open border policy was literally a matter of life and death,” he added. “Tomorrow, we begin our campaign to save the country that saved my life.”
In Virginia’s 7th Congressional District Democratic primary, Army veteran Eugene Vindman received 45.3% of the vote and moved on in the race to replace retiring Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who is running for governor of the state next year.
Vindman, who served as ethics lawyer to the National Security Council during the Trump administration, gained notoriety in 2019 after his identical twin brother Alexander Vindman tipped him off about Trump’s infamous phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to articles of impeachment being brought against the 45th president.
Trump was acquitted of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges during his impeachment trial.
Former Army Green Beret Derrick Anderson won the GOP primary in the 7th District and will take on Vindman in November.
