Bob Good promises recount and investigation into Virginia primary

Virginia GOP Rep. Bob Good promised on Thursday to pursue a full recount and investigation into his Republican primary against the Donald Trump backed challenger John McGuire, after no winner was declared in the tight race, as of publishing.

McGuire, who secured Trump's endorsement after Good endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the Republican nominee for president, declared victory in the race for Virginia's fifth congressional district on Tuesday night, but has not been formally declared the winner. McGuire is currently leading Good by 327 votes as of Wednesday, per the Associated Press. Recounts in Virginia primaries are not automatic, but the margin is within the one percent of votes that is required for Good to demand one.

Good told "War Room" host Steve Bannon on his podcast that he was in the middle of canvassing for the state to pay for the recount, but that he should be successful because McGuire's lead falls within the one percent margin. McGuire has 50.2% of the vote so far, compared to Good's 49.8%, according to The Hill.

“We’re going to have a full recount. We’re going to have a full investigation,” Good said. “It’s going to stretch out for a couple of weeks. We’ve got lawyers at the ready, thankfully, a tremendous number of lawyers at our disposal, many who are ready to help us.”

Good also said there were irregularities in the vote counting, because in one county the ballot officials began counting votes two hours early. Good said he expected to have representatives at the ballot site to monitor the process, but they were late because they were not told that the vote counting was starting early.

“Of course, we don’t know what took place during those two hours,” Good said.

Good said he would make the county begin the vote counting process over again, since his team could not verify that it was done properly. When asked why someone would start counting votes early when Republicans are already concerned about ballot security, Good said "everyone should want to make sure that every legal, legitimate vote is counted.” 

The rocky primary was not entirely unexpected on Tuesday, since Trump publicly supported McGuire, along with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Most of Trump's candidates in both chambers have advanced to November's general election, showcasing his influence in the Republican Party. But Good, who is vying for his third term in the House, has seen endorsements from fellow House Freedom members like Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. 

If Good does lose the primary in the recount then he would be the first Republican candidate to lose a primary to an outside challenger, though Republicans are expected to hold the seat in November. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.