Rep. Bob Good (R) is still fighting for his political life one day after polls closed in Virginia.
The bitter race between Good, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, and his primary challenger, John McGuire — a state senator who won former President Trump’s coveted endorsement — remained very close Wednesday afternoon, with McGuire holding a razor -Thin edge about Good.
McGuire is leading Good by just 307 votes — or 0.4 percent — with 95 percent of the vote, according to results from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ. More than 62,000 voters cast ballots in the race to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.
The race is almost certainly headed for a recount: Virginia law allows candidates to request a recount if the margin is less than 1%.
Good expressed confidence Wednesday morning that he has a path to victory, but warned that the final stretch of counting could take weeks.
“Provisional ballots and mail-in ballots will also still be counted. We ask for full transparency from the officials involved and patience from the people of the 5th District in the coming weeks as certification of results is completed,” said Good wrote on social platform. “We believe we can still prevail.”
Meanwhile, McGuire, emboldened by his late lead Tuesday night, went ahead and declared victory in a room full of supporters, taking a page out of Trump’s 2020 election playbook.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the vote is here and the people have spoken: it is an honor to be your Republican candidate for the 5th Congressional District,” declared McGuire, provoking applause.
He echoed that sentiment throughout Wednesday night, writing in X: “There are still a few votes left to count, but it is clear that all paths end in victory.”
The count could be delayed until at least Thursday. Virginia celebrates the federal Juneteenth holiday, so ballots should not be counted on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
Good, however, is optimistic that he will have an advantage as more votes are counted.
Some Old Dominion counties had a good share of outstanding votes Wednesday morning, with Good and McGuire leading in some areas.
A source close to the Good campaign told The Hill they are closely watching returns in Albemarle County and Lynchburg, where the incumbent has an advantage.
In Albemarle, Good has a 523 vote — or 9.4 point — lead over McGuire, with much of the county reporting. In Lynchburg, Good maintains an 842-vote lead – or 16.4% – over McGuire.
“This race remains very close”, Bom wrote on XWednesday. “We are in a period where the law provides a process to evaluate the accuracy of all vote totals since Election Day to ensure that everyone can have full confidence in the certified results.”
The battle in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District — Tuesday’s marquee contest — has drawn national headlines for months, both for its intense interest inside the Beltway and heavy spending.
Trump and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) supported McGuire after Good crossed them – Good initially supported Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican Party’s presidential primary, and he voted to expel McCarthy from office later. high – earning the wrath of the holder. from two Republican Party heavyweights, their supporters and their war coffers.
Trump declared in a Truth Social post on the eve of the primary elections that “Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA AND BAD FOR THE USA,” and participated in a tele-rally for McGuire, where he warned that if Good is elected incumbent, he “He’s going to stab Virginia in the back, more or less like he did me.”
Meanwhile, McCarthy’s Majority Committee PAC funneled $10,000 to McGuire’s campaign, seeking to unseat the first of eight Republicans who voted to remove him from office. He faced his first defeat last week after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who voted to remove McCarthy, reigned supreme in her primary.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), another GOP firebrand, joined Trump and McCarthy in supporting McGuire, while other members of the Freedom Caucus on Capitol Hill supported her seat, including Reps. Chip Roy (R-Ga.). Texas), Byron Donalds (R-Florida) and Matt Gaetz (R-Florida).
Good nodded to the opposition against him on election night post on Xwriting, “No matter the outcome, you showed DC Swamp that you will not give up on standing up for what is right.”
“Keep the faith and don’t stop fighting now,” he added.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
