Virginia Rep. Bob Good is still trailing in his Republican primary against state Sen. John McGuire, but race results will not be finalized until next week.
The incumbent congressman has built a reputation as a MAGA Republican since 2021, when he took office in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District and voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results. He’s chair of the House Freedom Caucus and previously voted to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023.
But it was his opponent, McGuire, who received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the June primary. The move came after Good endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary.
Despite powerful members of the Republican Party opposing him, Good had strong returns on Tuesday night, trailing McGuire by half a percentage point when Election Day vote counting wrapped up.
But McGuire retained and even slightly grew his lead Friday as provisional and mail-in ballots were tallied. The count needs to be finalized by June 25.
Good said on former Trump strategist Steve Bannon’s podcast this week that he plans to file for a recount and called for an investigation into the results. On the social media platform X, he claimed Friday that fire alarms interrupted the voting process at three precincts on Election Day.
Virginia does not automatically recount votes. In the case of this election, the candidate referred to by state code as the “apparent loser” can request a recount if they trail the apparent nominee by less than 1% of the votes cast.
A recount by the Virginia Department of Elections can only be requested after the vote has been certified, which will occur on July 2. The deadline to request a recount would be July 12. Depending on the margin, either the candidate or local governments will pay for the recount.
