The winner of the Republican primary in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, which was held on June 18, has yet to be announced. Trump-endorsed State Senator John McGuire is currently leading incumbent U.S. Representative Bob Good by 327 votes.
Good has not conceded the primary; he claims the city of Lynchburg (population 79,287) “did not secure their drop boxes,” and said, “we’re going to be making the legal challenge in the next couple of days to demonstrate that Lynchburg, the biggest city, can’t be certified.”
Rep. Bob Good announces his campaign will file a legal challenge to stop the certification of votes in Lynchburg, Virginia after the 5th district primary was ruled “too close to call.”
Good trails challenger John McGuire, who was endorsed by Trump, by 330 votes. pic.twitter.com/6FKrAcAhFW
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) June 24, 2024
Good, the chairman of the far-right Freedom Caucus which initiated the ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last year, initially endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president, and Trump hasn’t forgotten.
The presumptive GOP nominee recently said of Good: “If he’s reelected, Bob Good will stab Virginia in the back, sort of like he did with me.”
Good today spoke with Trump’s former White House political advisor Steve Bannon on his podcast, where Good said, “We cannot win if we’re going to elect swamp creatures. Look who’s supporting my opponent. It is the Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Eric Cantor types, the swamp folks, the RINOs.” Good added that McGuire “would vote very differently than me in Washington.”
[Note: McCarthy vowed to vote for Trump this year; Ryan said that he will not. No word from Cantor, who Trump mocked in 2016 after he endorsed Jeb Bush.]
#tb On May 28 President Trump endorsed Virginia State Senator John McGuire for Congress VA 05! #MAGA2024 #Trump2024
Join us Friday in Chesapeake, VA for a Trump Rally. Link with details here:https://t.co/eYZF7tmfLH pic.twitter.com/8820QP4a7V
— John McGuire (@JohnMcGuire4VA) June 23, 2024
As seen above, McGuire will join Trump at his rally in Chesapeake, Virginia on Friday, the day after Trump’s first debate with President Joe Biden at CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta.
Note: Whoever wins the Virginia GOP primary faces Democrat Gloria Witt in the general election.