Virginia’s Republican primary election for District 5 is extremely tight Tuesday night and too close to call shortly before midnight. Former President Donald Trump-backed candidate John McGuire is battling incumbent Robert Good.
The Context
Good, chairman of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, previously endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the 2024 presidential Republican nomination. Good then threw his support behind Trump after DeSantis dropped out.
Trump, while acknowledging Good’s “warm” endorsement, posted to his social media platform Truth Social on Monday, saying in part, “Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA! He turned his back on our incredible Movement, and was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and “loving” Endorsement – But really, it was too late! The damage had been done.”
The former president instead offered his “complete and total endorsement” for McGuire, a Virginia state senator and former Navy SEAL who backed the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” movement following President Joe Biden‘s 2020 election win.
Scott Olson
What We Know
As of 11:27 p.m. Eastern time, McGuire was leading Good by less than 400 votes with 93 percent counted, according to the Associated Press. The lead had switched hands on more than one occasion earlier in the night.
Good issued a statement on the race just before 11 p.m., thanking his supporters for showing “the DC Swamp that you won’t back down from standing for what’s right” regardless of “the outcome.”
“Right now, we’re still waiting on the final election results of today’s Primary,” Good said in the statement, which was shared to X, formerly Twitter. “The entire DC Swamp was aligned against us with over $10 million in attack ads, but with your help we were able to make this race too close to call.”
Right now, we’re still waiting on the final election results of today’s Primary. As we wait, I wanted to thank you for your support thus far. You made sure your vote was cast. Many of you gave up your precious time to make phone calls and knock on doors. Several of you had tough…
— Bob Good for Congress (@GoodForCongress) June 19, 2024
Views
“Make America Great Again”-branded Republicans like Florida Representative Matt Gaetz and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert, however, have thrown their support behind Good, highlighting a noticeable split within MAGA.
Gaetz posted to X on Monday, saying, “It has been an honor to campaign with my friend and conservative fighter @GoodForCongress VA5 please get out and vote TODAY for Bob Good!”
Boebert also shared multiple campaign posts from Good on X in the lead-up to the election. However, the MAGA split was evident as Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene threw her weight behind McGuire.
“VA-05 polls close at 7 pm, make sure you vote for the REAL Trump endorsed candidate, John McGuire!!” Greene posted to X on Tuesday. “NOT Trump back stabber Bob Good! Also do you want to know the truth about Bob Good and Kevin McCarthy? Sound up! Listen to the end!”
What’s Next
The election outcome remained too close to call at the time of publication. A recount is possible if the candidates are still separated by hundreds of votes or less in the final tally.
Regardless of the final margin, the close finish could indicate that Trump has less sway over Republicans than some might imagine. A poll of 300 likely voters commissioned by the Virginia Faith and Freedom Coalition and conducted earlier this month indicated that McGuire had a solid 10-point lead over Good.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.