McGuire’s victory over Good: The Virginia State Board of Elections on Tuesday certified the results of the June 18 GOP primary election in which Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland County, Defeated Rap. Bob Goode, R-Farmville and chairman of the powerful House Freedom Caucus, by just 374 votes out of 62,792 cast.
The board’s move solidified McGuire’s victory in the Republican-leaning 5th Congressional District in what was one of the most watched and costliest primary battles nationwide this year. McGuire made his campaign a referendum on which candidate was a more loyal supporter of former President Donald Trump.
In a statement released after Tuesday’s meeting, McGuire thanked his campaign team, his family and the former president for their support.
“We couldn’t have done it without my wife Tracy, our incredible team, and of course Trump! This is the honor of a lifetime,” McGuire said. I am asking for your support for both Donald J. Trump and the Republican Congress, we will lose our great country.
Goode made it clear after the election that he would not accept it, but his push for a delay in certification failed. In a fundraising email five days after the election, he called for “a full forensic audit of this election, including hand counting and reconciliation of actual paper ballots versus voting machines.”
Virginia does not have an automatic recount law, and while McGuire’s 0.6% lead puts Goode within the 1% margin that would allow him to request a recount at his campaign expense, it remains above the 0.5% threshold that would require locals to pay for it. will need . There is also no provision for hand-count under the state law.
With the certificate of election complete, Good now has 10 days to make his next move.
After locals finished their canvassing last week, Goods campaign spokeswoman Diana Shores said many people in the 5th District had reached out to the congressman’s campaign asking for a recount.
“Our donors, our volunteers and our supporters expect it. This is not about Bob Goode, this is about the people of the district,” Shores said at the time. “Thousands of dollars have already been donated to our recount efforts. We will pursue a recount to resolve any questions about the fairness or transparency of the election process. In this way, voters can confidently proceed to the general elections.
After the Board of Elections certified the results Tuesday, Shores said in a text message that the campaign would not issue a new statement because “nothing has changed” since the previous statement. “We had to wait until the certification to file for the recount and we have a window of time to petition the judge,” Shores said.
Candidate-paid recounts are rare in Virginia, because they are expensive and because they rarely change the outcome of an election.
Well drawn Trump’s anger then support Governor of Florida. Ron DeSantis ran for president more than a year ago. But despite the return of Make America Great Again to the fold the day DeSantis ended his campaign in January, and the continued support of most elected party officials in the district, the incumbent has found himself facing pushback from voters in districts where the former president won. with 53% of the votes in both 2016 and 2020.
In late May, Trump Formally endorsed McGuire and he held a tele-rally for the candidate on the eve of the primary election.
“John is running against Bob Good, who is not good,” Trump said during the 10-minute call. “That, despite its name, is really bad for Virginia and bad for the country.”
“He fought us on a lot of different things that would have been great,” the Republican presidential candidate continued. “If he’s re-elected, he’s going to stab Virginia in the back, like he did to me. He stood against the things that everyone wanted and always made it difficult. He’s not a very popular guy, I’ll tell you that. And people fight him all the way, because he’s only worth fighting for, and he let us down.
On the campaign trail, McGuire has accused Goode of “hating Trump” and being a “Never-Trumper” and a “Reno” — a derogatory slur for “Republicans in name only” — who works to help Democrats. He also charges that the incumbent is a divisive politician whose positions in Congress, including his key role in the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year, have damaged the Republican brand.
Although McGuire finished election night with a 327-vote lead — a margin of 0.52% — that continued to grow as more votes were counted, Good wasted no time.
Openly questions the legitimacy of the election.
On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the congressman claimed that fires at three separate polling locations in Lynchburg and in Albemarle and Hanover counties led to a temporary evacuation of the area, indicating possible foul play. is
But an investigation into the incidents later revealed that there was no actual fire and that fire alarms were sounded everywhere.
Goode also cited problems that arose in some areas of Albemarle and Buckingham counties during the campaign as grounds for requesting a recount. And in Lynchburg, election officials temporarily paused post-election ballot counting after finding some ballots in drop boxes the Friday after the election that were collected before the June 18 voting deadline.
“Until these concerns are obviously investigated and decisions are made accordingly, this should not be certified,” he said on “Bannon’s War Room,” a podcast hosted by his colleague and former White House strategist Steve Bannon, in the days leading up to the election. was
Daniel Bruce, an attorney representing McGuire’s campaign, told Board of Elections members Tuesday that the registrar and board of elections in Lynchburg had thoroughly investigated the issue.
“The registrar prepared a report indicating that members of the registrar’s staff did not observe any ballots placed in that ballot box until after Election Day,” Bruce said. “In the end, we’re talking about seven ballots from that drop box, which is nowhere near enough to change the outcome of this election where John McGuire leads Bob Goode by about 400 votes. We are confident in the integrity of this election and the legitimacy of the outcome.”
Also Tuesday, the Board of Elections certified the results of the Democratic primary in the 5th District, where political newcomer Gloria Witt, an Amherst County businesswoman and community activist, won. win Her party’s nomination in a three-way contest. Witt will face McGuire in the general election in November.
The board also approved the nomination of Republican US Senate candidate Hung Kao, who is Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. And will vote overwhelmingly on November 4. by defeating Four GOP Contenders in Statewide GOP Party Primary.