Republicans who faced off in the primary between House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.) and state Sen. John Maguire are viewing the race as a victory, even though the outcome is still unknown.
As Goode faces growing opposition following outrage over his vote to seize the floor from former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), his opponents say the race should serve as a warning against the tactics, style and attitudes that have sowed discord in the House.
“He symbolized, for many of us, what’s wrong and dysfunctional about this Congress. And he was part of the soul of this Congress, the seed of all of the dysfunction,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who supported Maguire.
“Is shutting down the government conservative? I don’t think so,” Bacon said. “What do you mean by conservative? I don’t think the way he tried to get McCarthy out of office and the other shenanigans he’s pulled this year are conservative.”
To be sure, former President Trump’s endorsement of Maguire, after Goode’s initial support for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary, played a key role in the election’s outcome, but Goode’s critics in the House of Representatives say the support and money Maguire received from anger over McCarthy and Goode’s political choices played a major role in the race.
Still, the race is not over yet.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Maguire was leading Good by 307 votes, or 0.4%, according to Decision Desk HQ, which reported 95% of the votes. The election is currently deadlocked, and no votes are expected to be counted on Wednesday, Juneteenth, which is commemorated in Virginia, according to the Associated Press.
Still, the race is likely heading for a recount, which candidates can request in the Old Dominion State if they are behind by less than 1%.
Goode, meanwhile, stuck to his guns, calling the race “hard to predict” and warning that the count could take weeks, but expressed strong optimism that the vote count could tip in his favor.
“I still believe we can win,” he said. Posted on social platform X.
But McGuire sees the race differently. The former Navy SEAL declared victory on Tuesday night. Tell the crowd“I’m honored to be the Republican nominee,” he said at his victory party.
“There are still a few votes left to go, but it is clear that all roads end in victory,” he reiterated. Post to XEarly Wednesday morning.
Many of McGuire’s supporters The celebration continues Many on social media supported McGuire, including Bacon and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.). Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who also supported McCarthy and was expelled from the Freedom Caucus last year after clashing with members, called Goode “toxic” and congratulated McGuire. Post to X.
“I hope he’s right,” Bacon said of McGuire taking a victory lap before the race ended. “I’m talking to some other people in Virginia right now, and they’re pretty confident.”
Sarah Chamberlain, president and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, said she hopes the rebellion against Goode will make others think twice before using the tactics he used. Her group’s super PAC, Defending Main Street, has spent $452,000 on ads supporting Maguire.
“Goode votes against Republican bills and follows Republican rules so bills can’t even get to the floor,” Chamberlain said of Goode, referring to procedural votes that typically fall along party lines but that Goode and other Republicans have used to challenge legislation.
“It wasn’t so much about Kevin McCarthy, it was about Republicans not siding with Democrats and blocking Republican efforts,” Chamberlain said.
Good is the second Republican incumbent that Defending Main Street has challenged in a primary election, its first in 2020 being former Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).
Goode’s endorsement of a Republican incumbent challenger earlier this year prompted his support for McGuire, who Bacon endorsed because Goode supported a more hardline conservative challenger who fell 24 percentage points short of beating the incumbent.
“I think this is a little bit of an ideological issue, but it’s also more about how Bob Good treated people. He was just obnoxiously rude,” Bacon said.
McGuire is not a Republican who can be lumped together with moderates like Bacon: He attended the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Capitol on January 6 but did not enter the building and has defended his actions. He spoke on CNN on Tuesday “Trump was stolen”
But if Republicans who supported the Virginia senator hope that it will change the behavior of their party’s hardline conservatives, they will have to expect their colleagues to downplay other important lessons from the race.
A good supporter might argue that, even though the election results are yet to come, this shows a strong stance and better than expected results in the face of so much opposition.
A Conservative-commissioned poll conducted June 2-4 Virginia Faith and Freedom Union The poll found Maguire leading Good by 10 points, a far cry from the current vote count that separates them by just half a percentage point. Twenty-nine percent of respondents were undecided.
Good also lost on radio: $9 million was spent on ads supporting McGuire and against the incumbent, compared with $5.6 million spent on ads supporting Good and against McGuire, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
Perhaps most important of all is Trump’s influence.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), one of the eight Republicans who moved to oust McCarthy, said Maguire’s strong performance and chances of winning were due above all to President Trump’s support.
“This has 100 percent to do with Trump,” Burchett said. “The president is very powerful, especially at the grassroots level. That has a huge impact.”
Another Republican who voted to impeach McCarthy, Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, won last week’s primary even though McCarthy and her allies supported an opponent on the first stop of a “revenge” primary against those who voted in favor of impeachment. Significantly, Mace had the backing of Trump.
Burchett is not facing an opponent in this year’s primary, but he said that won’t stop opponents from seeking one.
Still, Burchett said the support from people who don’t like Good’s tactics or style won’t deter him from voting the way he wants to.
“I knew I might lose my job, but I still believe it was the right decision at the time,” Burchett said of his vote to fire McCarthy.
