Virginia state Sen. John McGuire has refused to commit to accepting the result of this year's presidential election but he's not arguing with the result of the recount in his bitterly fought primary battle against GOP Rep. Bob Good. A court confirmed Thursday that McGuire defeated Good in the June primary in the state's 5th District, NBC News reports. The court certified that Good, chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, lost by 370 votes, reports the Staunton News Leader.
The closely watched race was seen as a test of Donald Trump's influence. Good, first elected to the House in 2020, angered Trump by endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the presidential primaries. He later endorsed Trump, but the former president endorsed McGuire shortly before the primary, saying that despite his name, Good is "very bad for Virginia." Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also targeted Good, one of the lawmakers who ousted him from the speakership last year. Super PACs associated with McCarthy and his allies spent millions on the primary, Politico reports.
Good is the first sitting House Republican to lose a primary this year, NBC reports. Two House Democrats also lost primaries. Good had promised to step down as Freedom Caucus chair if the recount didn't go his way. The News Leader reports that the 5th District race remained bitter right to the end. In a post on X Wednesday, Good said McGuire hasn't "responded to allegations of stolen valor depicted in campaign ads, or to alleged campaign finance violations and investigations." McGuire called Good a "backstabbing trash talker" in a campaign email Thursday morning. (More Bob Good stories.)
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