House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.) is in a surprisingly tough fight to keep his Virginia seat against primary challenger John Maguire, who is backed by former President Trump.
Both Trump and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had endorsed Maguire, and many expected Good to lose handily, but the race turned out to be much closer than expected, with the two candidates for the 5th District seat separated by just one point.
According to Decision Desk HQ, more than 90% of the votes had been reported at the time of publication, with Good trailing McGuire by about 500 votes.
Goode drew the wrath of President Trump when she endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in the Republican presidential primary. After DeSantis withdrew from the race, conservative lawmakers quickly moved to back Trump, but the former president claims he came too late.
Good also drew the ire of McCarthy when he joined seven Republicans and all Democrats in a historic vote last year to remove the California congressman from his leadership position, whose Majority Committee PAC has donated to Maguire.
The highly-anticipated race could put an end to a streak of incumbents winning this term, excluding a rare incumbent-vs-incumbent race in Alabama because of redistricting.
In Oklahoma, incumbent Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) defeated several challengers in the primary election Tuesday night to win the Republican nomination for the state’s 4th Congressional District seat.
If McGuire ultimately wins, the race would mark the first major victory for McCarthy, who is targeting Republicans who voted to oust him. His quest for revenge got off to a rocky start last week when South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican, won her primary handily against a challenger backed by McCarthy’s PAC.
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which Good chairs, endorsed Maguire earlier this week, highlighting tensions within the party over the Republican-leaning central Virginia seat.
But Goode has the backing of other members of the Freedom Caucus, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Byron Donald (R-Fla.).
There is no automatic recount in Virginia, but a losing candidate can request a recount. difference That’s less than one percentage point.
