The Virginia Republican filed a recount petition Wednesday as he trails his primary challenger, state senator John McGuire, by 370 votes.
Washington, D.C. — Representative Bob Good (R., Va.) is on the verge of losing his seat in Congress and his position as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
Nearly a month since voting in his primary race ended, the Virginia Republican filed a recount petition Wednesday as he trails his primary challenger, state senator John McGuire, by 370 votes.
“It’s an uphill climb anytime you do that,” Good told National Review in the Capitol on Wednesday. “More often than not, of course, recounts don’t change the results.”
But Good said “prudence dictates” the campaign call for a recount since the gap is only about 0.6 percent of all votes. Good told NR the campaign has sufficient funds to pay for the recount, which could cost up to $100,000.
Former president Donald Trump shook up the race by endorsing McGuire after Good backed Florida governor Ron DeSantis in the presidential primary last year. “Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA,” Trump said in a Truth Social post in late May.
The race became a test of Trump’s influence with primary voters in a mostly red district, and after the Commonwealth certified the race earlier this month, it looked as if the former president passed.
At the same time, the House Freedom Caucus is losing members and could also lose its chairman, Good, who told Politico on Wednesday he would step down if he does not “do well” in the recount.
The group ousted Representative Warren Davidson (R., Ohio) on Monday night over his endorsement of Good’s primary challenger, and Representative Troy Nehls (R., Texas) resigned in solidarity.
Good’s potential successor is unclear, and he’s declined to name names. But even if he loses the recount, Good told NR that may not end his election litigation.
“We’ll pursue every possible legal challenge as long as we feel like there’s anything worth challenging and that we have the ability to challenge,” Good said.
Shortly after election day, Good claimed in a social-media post that “three ‘fires’ on election day in three precincts,” including one in Lynchburg, had forced the buildings to evacuate. He told NR the recount could answer questions he has even if it does not end in his favor.
“There are things that we question and are concerned about with results that don’t make sense to us,” Good said. “We’re hoping we’re going to be able to drill down and look into those in the recount process. Obviously, you’re also hoping you’ll uncover just simple mistakes.”
During the primary, a set of more moderate Republican PACs, including the Republican Main Street Partnership, backed Good’s opponent after slowing Kevin McCarthy’s speaker bid early last year and helping remove him from the role in October.
Anti-Good spending, as labeled by the Virginia Public Access Project, outpaced all other types in the race, including Pro-McGuire outlays.