GOOCHLAND, Va. – A Republican primary recount was being held Thursday to decide whether John McGuire, a state senator backed by former President Donald Trump, narrowly defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Bob Good, a conservative who chairs the hard-line House Freedom Caucus. right.
The recount of the election for the seat representing Virginia’s 5th Congressional District comes after election officials certified that McGuire won by 374 votes out of nearly 63,000 votes cast, or six-tenths of a percentage point.
Election officials said they were confident in the result, but Good filed a petition for a recount in Goochland Circuit Court, citing apparent voting irregularities in Lynchburg.
“I think conservatives across the country and across the commonwealth want to make sure this result is accurate and reflects the true intent of all voters in this election,” Good said after a mid-July hearing where the recount was scheduled.
Good got a recount because McGuire’s margin of victory was less than one percent. But his campaign has to pay for this, as the margin is more than half a percentage point.
A panel of three judges oversaw the recount, which would continue until all votes were counted. Chief Judge Claude Worrell II estimated last month it would cost $96,500, though that figure could change.
“It’s not likely to be exciting — it’s not a TV drama,” said Brad Marrs, a Richmond-area attorney representing Good. “It’s a slow process, but it will end.”
At one of the congressional district’s recount centers, election workers dutifully tallied votes while sitting at folding tables inside a Goochland County gymnasium. Two alternative workers sat in the stands along the perimeter.
Officials estimated they had recounted about two-thirds of their votes before taking a lunch break around 11:30 a.m. Bob Walker, a member of the Goochland election board who coordinated the recount, said officials have not yet found a contested ballot.
“No, none so far,” Walker said.
Walker said it was difficult to organize the recount, coordinating with the district court and clerk’s office. But on Thursday he was happy to see the recount go smoothly, he said.
“I really enjoy working on elections,” Walker said. “The recount is part of the entire process.”
Good, who has served in Congress since 2021, was one of eight House Republicans who voted to remove fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House in October.
After Good endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential race, Trump called him a traitor and threw his support behind McGuire, a former Navy SEAL.
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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report to America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to cover undercovered issues.
