A fiercely contested race…
A leading conservative congressman, Bob Good, is demanding a recount and full investigation into his unresolved and fiercely contested primary race. Good, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, is facing off against Virginia state Sen. John McGuire III in a tight election.
Current Standings: Too Close To Call
McGuire, also an unabashed conservative, currently leads with 50.2% of the vote compared to Good’s 49.8%. Despite only leading by approximately 300 votes, McGuire declared victory on Tuesday evening.
The race has seen 96% of precincts reporting, with the final outcome pending the counting of remaining mail-in and provisional ballots.
With legal teams and observers in place, both campaigns are gearing up for a protracted contest to ensure every vote is counted.
Good Suggests Foul Play?
Although it is expected that the full count may take a few more days, Good is arguably insinuating that “fires” at voting precincts may have impacted GOP primary voters on election day.
On Thursday, his campaign mentioned the incidents in a post on X: “We had 3 ‘fires’ on election day, all requiring the precincts to be evacuated for 20 minutes. Albemarle County, Hanover County, and Lynchburg City. What is the probability? Does anyone recall even 1 fire at a precinct on election day?”
“AI estimates the probability being 0.0000000318%,” the campaign’s account added.
That same day, Good appeared on Steve Bannon‘s “War Room” podcast and revealed his intention to pursue a recount.
Presidential Primary Fallout And More
It seems that Good may have upset Donald Trump by endorsing Ron DeSantis during the GOP presidential primary.
Even though Good endorsed Trump after DeSantis dropped out of the race and attended Trump’s trial, the former president endorsed McGuire on May 28, just three weeks before the June 18 primary.
Good’s vote to remove McCarthy from his position as House Speaker has also caused disagreement and upset some Republican insiders.
Many in the party, including McGuire, saw the vote as destabilizing and created the perception that Good does not have the party’s best interests at heart.
On the campaign trail, McGuire labeled Good a RINO and argued that his actions were not supportive of the party.
Legal Battle Over Endorsement Claims
Four days after McGuire received Trump’s endorsement, Trump’s presidential campaign fired off a cease and desist letter to Good’s campaign for “producing yard signs purporting to indicate President Trump’s endorsement of your candidacy.”
“You know that is false. In fact, President Trump has endorsed your opponent, John McGuire,” the letter added.
Could The Primary Eclipse The General Election?
Regardless of the outcome, with a partisan voter index of R+7, the winner of the primary in Virginia’s 5th District (Charlottesville, Danville and Lynchburg) will be the strong favorite in November.
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