The surprisingly close race in Virginia was one of the highlights of Tuesday night’s election, which also included contests in Georgia and Oklahoma.
Observers have been closely following the Republican primary for Rep. Bob Good’s seat in Virginia’s 5th District. The race has shaped up to be one of the most eventful this primary season, as Donald Trump and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have sought to make Good the first incumbent to lose to an outside challenger. But as of Tuesday night, Good was separated from his rival by just a few hundred votes, making the race still close enough that it was difficult to predict the outcome.
Meanwhile, Democrats were battling a tough primary in Virginia, while Republican Rep. Tom Cole fended off multiple primary challengers for the Republican nomination in Oklahoma.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday night’s primary election.
Trump’s revenge attempt ends in close contest
Goode, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, had been seen by many as a dead giveaway heading into the Virginia primary since Goode clashed with Trump, most notably on Tuesday night when Sen. John McGuire blasted Goode.
But as midnight approached, the candidates were neck and neck and the outcome was uncertain. If Goode ultimately won, it would be a major upset and an embarrassing defeat for both Trump and McCarthy.
Goode, a current incumbent, angered Trump last year when she endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the Republican presidential nomination. After DeSantis dropped out of the race, Goode endorsed Trump, but the former president said Goode’s endorsement came too late.
As a result, Trump endorsed McGuire, who also garnered the backing of McCarthy’s Majority Committee PAC after Good voted to fire former chairman McCarthy last year.
It’s unclear who will ultimately win, but delays in mail-in ballots and a possible recount later this week have added uncertainty. The election outcome may not be known for several days.
But what is clear is that Good’s primary was one of the most tense and memorable battles of this election so far.
An under-the-radar Senate race showdown is set
Former Navy Captain Hun Kao handily defeated four other Republicans in the Virginia Republican Senate primary.
Kao will face incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in November in what is expected to be a tough fight for Republicans, and the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the seat as “Democrat-favorable.”
Still, Republicans are encouraged by signs of weakness for Biden in the state, raising the possibility of upsets in lower-ranked districts.
But defeating Kaine will not be easy: In addition to serving as a senator since 2013, Kaine also served as governor, lieutenant governor and mayor of Richmond, Virginia, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 presidential election.
But Republicans are optimistic about Kao, a familiar figure in Virginia politics who challenged Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District in 2022 but lost after redistricting made the district more Democratic.
Republicans point to recent polls in Virginia that show the race between Biden and Trump is closer than expected: A Fox News poll released earlier this month showed the two tied at 48% approval rating, while The Hill’s Decision Desk polling average shows Trump leading Biden by just 0.2%.
The poll is alarming for Democrats, who have carried the state in presidential elections since former President Barack Obama won it in 2008. But Republicans say the poll shows Trump, and by extension Kao, have a chance in the state.
The ugly Democratic primary is over
Virginia Senator Suhas Subrahmanyam (Democrat) defeated 11 other candidates in the Democratic primary to replace Wexton in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.
Wexton’s endorsement of Subrahmanyam gave him momentum heading into a crowded primary race that included many prominent Virginia Democrats, including former House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (D), state Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D) and former Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Karni.
But on Tuesday, the race came down to a contest between Subrahmanyam and Rep. Dan Helmer (Democrat), with Subrahmanyam defeating Helmer by 30.3 percent to 26.7 percent.
The race got particularly ugly in the closing stages after sexual harassment allegations emerged against Helmer, who he denies.
Subrahmanyam will face Republican Mike Clancy in November in a district that includes the suburbs and exurbs of Washington, D.C., favored Democrats. Wexton won reelection in 2022 by more than 6 points, and Biden carried the district by 19 points in 2020.
Another January 6th candidate lost
A candidate convicted of a misdemeanor related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol lost a runoff election in Georgia in what was seen as the latest test of voter willingness to support a candidate linked to the riot.
Chuck Hand, who pleaded guilty to unlawfully protesting at the Capitol on Jan. 6, came in second in last month’s primary along with Republican Wayne Johnson, a former senior Trump administration official.
But Johnson easily won by double digits in Tuesday’s showdown between the top two candidates and will now face off against 16-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Sanford Bishop in November.
Hand is one of a handful of candidates seeking a seat in this election in connection to the January 6 attacks more than three years after the Capitol attack, but he has lost in previous primary elections.
Still, political experts say support for their candidacy, like the 35 percent support Hand received on Tuesday, shows that some in the Republican Party are ignoring the Jan. 6 convictions. Trump in particular praised the “J6 warriors” on the campaign trail and has dismissed his own legal battles as politically motivated.
Both parties are working to split
Tuesday’s primary election exposed divisions within both the Republican and Democratic parties.
In Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, conservatives and Republicans were divided over their support for Goode and Maguire. While Trump and McCarthy were united in their desire to get revenge on Goode, the incumbent congressman also received support from other lawmakers, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Arizona), as well as Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist.
The Virginia Democratic Party also had a fierce primary in the 10th District, pitting state Democrats against each other. Former Gov. Ralph Northam (D) endorsed Filler-Corn, while Wexton backed Subrahmanyam.
But Virginia isn’t the only state where the party has split. In Oklahoma, Republican Rep. Tom Cole handily defeated businessman Paul Bonder by double digits. Bonder campaigned to the right of Cole on impeaching Biden, toughening immigration policy and cutting aid to Ukraine. Bonder outraised Cole in the primary, thanks to $5 million in campaign loans. Cole has held his seat for more than 20 years.
