Rep. Bob Good Files for Recount in Virginia Primary Race Against John McGuire

Rep. Bob Good (C) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill, on April 19, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) on July 11 filed a petition for a recount in his June 18 primary election after narrowly losing to state Sen. John McGuire.

Last week, election officials declared the House Freedom Caucus chair lost by 374 votes of the nearly 63,000 votes cast or about 0.6 percentage points, opening the way for a recount request under Virginia law.

Virginia does not have automatic recounts, but a candidate may request one if the margin is less than one percentage point. In this case, Mr. Good will have to pay for the recount because the margin is greater than 0.5 percent, but if he wins, he will receive a refund.

If Mr. Good loses, he will become the first Republican incumbent to lose his primary to a non-incumbent challenger this election year.

“The Good for Congress campaign has filed our Petition for Recount with the Clerk of the Court in Goochland County. We anticipate a preliminary hearing soon on a full recount,” the campaign said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the campaign to move ahead with the recount process. In the meantime, Congressman Good will continue serving his constituents and fighting for reduced spending, secure borders, and our constitutional freedoms,” the statement said.

A Goochland County judge is expected to set a hearing to determine recount procedures sometime within the next week, as per Virginia law.

Mr. Good’s contentious primary battle has highlighted recent divisions within the GOP. After he backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in his unsuccessful presidential primary campaign, former President Donald Trump endorsed Mr. Good’s opponent, Mr. McGuire, a former Navy SEAL.

Mr. McGuire also received financial backing from GOP super PACs American Patriots, Virginians for Freedom, and Defending Main Street. The groups gave a combined total of more than $2.3 million to Mr. McGuire and spent another $3.6 million undermining Mr. Good’s campaign.

Mr. Good was also one of eight Republicans who voted to remove former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House speaker.

Whoever wins the recount will face off against Gloria Witt, who won the Democrat primary, garnering nearly 57 percent of the vote.

The seat seems likely to stay in GOP hands as Mr. Good won reelection in 2022 with 57.6 percent of the vote.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Mr. McGuire’s campaign for comment.