Current:Home > StocksRep. Bob Good files for recount in Virginia GOP congressional primary-InfoLens
Rep. Bob Good files for recount in Virginia GOP congressional primary
View Date:2024-12-23 10:38:17
U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., one of Congress’ most conservative members, filed a petition Thursday for a recount after state election officials say he narrowly lost a primary last month to a challenger backed by former President Donald Trump.
The Good campaign said it filed the recount petition in Goochland County outside of Richmond. The campaign had the option of filing in any courthouse within the sprawling 5th Congressional District, which he has represented since 2021.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the campaign to move ahead with the recount process. In the meantime, Congressman Good will continue serving his constituents and fighting for reduced spending, secure borders, and our constitutional freedoms,” the campaign said in an emailed statement.
Earlier this month, the state board of elections declared state Sen. John McGuire the winner over Good in the 5th District primary. McGuire’s margin of victory was 374 votes out of nearly 63,000 ballots cast, or six-tenths of a percentage point.
Because the margin of victory was less than a percentage point, though, Good was entitled to seek a recount under state law.
Good’s campaign will be required to pay for the recount, though, because the margin is greater than half a percentage point. The campaign will get a refund if the recount results in Good’s victory.
The Associated Press said the race is too close to call and failed to declare a winner, citing Good’s plans to seek a recount.
Good had signaled for weeks that he would seek a recount. He has c laimed that there were voting irregularities in Lynchburg and elsewhere, but elections officials have said the count is accurate and they are confident in the results.
If Good loses, he would be the first House incumbent nationally to lose a primary challenge this year, with the exception of one race in which two incumbents faced off due to redistricting.
Good, who chairs the hard-right House Freedom Caucus and has a staunchly conservative voting record, might have been immune to a primary challenge under normal political dynamics.
But Good drew the ire of Trump voters after he endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential contest. Trump endorsed McGuire, a state senator and former Navy SEAL, and called Good a backstabber.
Good also alienated the Republican establishment for his efforts to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. A Republican political action committee, Defending Main Street, which almost always spends money to support GOP incumbents, launched a $450,000 ad campaign against Good.
In an emailed statement, McGuire campaign consultant Sean Brown said “(r)ecounting the ballots and delaying the inevitable may make Bob feel better, but it won’t make him congressman again. More people voted for John McGuire than voted for Bob Good, no matter how many times he counts it.”
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Gloria Witt in November in a district that tilts conservative.
Under state law, a Goochland County judge is expected to schedule a preliminary hearing in the next seven days to establish procedures for a recount.
veryGood! (3117)
Related
- Surprise bids revive hope for offshore wind in Gulf of Mexico after feds cancel lease sale
- New Mexico prepares for June presidential primary amid challenge to Trump candidacy
- ICHCOIN Trading Center: NFT Leading Technological Innovation and Breakthrough
- Police video shows police knew Maine shooter was a threat. They also felt confronting him was unsafe
- Democrat Cleo Fields wins re-drawn Louisiana congressional district, flipping red seat blue
- Pakistan’s top court orders Imran Khan released on bail in a corruption case. He won’t be freed yet
- Why Patrick Mahomes Says Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift “Match So Well”
- Israel-Hamas war rages, death toll soars in Gaza, but there's at least hope for new cease-fire talks
- Olivia Culpo Celebrates Christian McCaffrey's NFL Comeback Alongside Mother-in-Law
- Who is Ahmed Fareed? Get to know the fill-in host for NBC's 'Football Night In America'
Ranking
- 'This dude is cool': 'Cross' star Aldis Hodge brings realism to literary detective
- Judge keeps Chris Christie off Maine's Republican primary ballot
- Man fatally shot by Detroit police during traffic stop; officer dragged 20 yards
- You'll Shine in These 21 Plus-Size New Year's Eve Dresses Under $50
- Horoscopes Today, November 10, 2024
- Simone Biles' Husband Jonathan Owens Addresses Criticism After Saying He's the Catch in Their Marriage
- Nike will lay off workers as part of $2-billion cost-cutting plan
- Derek Hough says wife Hayley Erbert's skull surgery was successful: 'Immense relief'
Recommendation
-
'I know how to do math': New Red Lobster CEO says endless shrimp deal is not coming back
-
Hong Kong court rejects activist publisher Jimmy Lai’s bid to throw out sedition charge
-
A British sea monitoring agency says another vessel has been hijacked near Somalia
-
How Jason Momoa Is Spending Holidays With His Kids
-
Mariah Carey's Amazon Holiday Merch Is All I Want for Christmas—and It's Selling Out Fast!
-
Mystery Solved: This Is the Ultimate Murder, She Wrote Gift Guide
-
Report: Dodgers agree to 12-year deal with Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto
-
More Brazilians declared themselves as being biracial, country’s statistics agency says