Recount Confirms Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Bob Good Lost Primary to McGuire

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, attends a press conference on the government funding bill at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 22, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON—A recount conducted on Aug. 1 in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District confirmed that state Sen. John McGuire defeated incumbent Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), the chairman of the influential and conservative House Freedom Caucus.

The final tally was a margin of 370 votes.

McGuire barely edged out Good in the June 18 Republican primary by 374 votes, the Virginia Board of Elections initially announced on July 2.

In a Facebook post, Good expressed his appreciation for his constituents, calling it a “distinct honor” to serve them.

“I will continue to serve my constituents to the best of my ability over the remaining 5 months of my term, and I will continue to fight for the principles and values upon which our nation was founded,” he said.

In a post on X, McGuire, who was backed by former President Donald Trump, said the recount validated his declaration of victory on primary night.

“Folks in the 5th District can rest assured that should they elect me in November, they will have an effective fighter in Congress who will get the job done,” he said.

The recount was possible under Virginia law because the margin between the two candidates was less than 1 percent.

“We’re going to have a full recount. We’re going to have a full investigation,” said Good on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast on June 20.

The district is Republican, meaning McGuire is all but guaranteed to win in November.

Good’s loss was the first for an incumbent in the 2024 cycle. Since then, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) also lost his primary in New York’s 16th Congressional District.

Good initially supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s run for the GOP presidential nomination against Trump before switching his support to Trump.

Trump endorsed McGuire, who has been in the Virginia state Senate since Jan. 10.

On his social media site Truth Social, Trump called McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, “a true American hero” who is “strong on crime” and will protect the military and veterans. Trump said McGuire “will always defend our under siege Second Amendment,” the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Trump said that Good betrayed the Make America Great Again movement and that endorsing him after he backed DeSantis was “too late” as “the damage has been done.”

Following a June 7 rally on the lawn in front of a courthouse in Powhatan, Virginia, Good said it’s time to unite behind Trump.

Good was endorsed by Freedom Caucus members including Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Ben Cline (R-Va.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) and Eric Burlison (R-Mo.).

Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), another Freedom Caucus member, endorsed McGuire. He was subsequently kicked out of the caucus, Norman told The Epoch Times. Davidson labeled McGuire “conservative and effective.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) also endorsed McGuire.

Good was one of eight Republicans to join all Democrats in October in ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

With Good’s ouster, the race to replace him as Freedom Caucus chairman is on—an unprecedented situation, as the chairman of the caucus must be a sitting member of Congress in accordance with the group’s bylaws, the Epoch Times has learned. The bylaws have not been publicized.

Good was first elected to Congress in 2020 after unseating Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) in a drive-thru convention. He was elected chairman in December and started in the position the following month, succeeding Perry.

Norman and Boebert are considering running to succeed Good as Freedom Caucus chair, the Epoch Times has also learned. An election to pick Good’s successor has yet to be determined.

Terri Wu and The Associated Press contributed to this report.