The closely watched Virginia GOP primary race pitting House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good against state Sen. John McGuire, the candidate backed by former President Donald Trump and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, remains too close to call, with watchers saying a vote recount is expected in the 5th Congressional District contest.
The New York Times reported Thursday that McGuire is holding a tight lead of just 321 votes, with 31,418 votes, over Good, with 31,097 votes. The Times' numbers were updated early Thursday, but were based on tallies reported Wednesday afternoon.
But even with the few hundred votes separating the candidates, McGuire appeared to be taking a victory lap on X early Wednesday, thanking his family and "everyone who helped out on this campaign, thank you to the people who endorsed and supported me, and thank you to Donald J. Trump for believing in me. There are still a few votes left to count, but it’s clear that all paths end with a victory."
Good, meanwhile, pointed out in an X post of his own Wednesday that the race "remains too close to call."
"We are in a period where the law provides a process for evaluating the accuracy of all the vote totals from election day to ensure everyone can have full confidence in the certified results," he said. "Provisional ballots and mail-in ballots are also still to be counted. We are asking for full transparency from the officials involved and patience from the people of the 5th District over the coming weeks as the certification of results is completed. We believe we can still prevail."
Trump backed McGuire over Good after the incumbent Republican endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis early on in the GOP presidential primary. McCarthy threw his support behind McGuire after Good voted to oust him from his House speaker role last year.
Meanwhile, considering there are still provisional ballots and postmarked mail-in ballots still coming in by Friday, the race will likely turn into a full recount that could take weeks to determine who will square off against Democrat challenger Gloria Witt in November, reported The Washington Post.
Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, who backed Good over McGuire, going against Trump's endorsement, said that "we're not going to know for a month" who won the race.
However, he was quick to label McCarthy and his "revenge tour" as a loser in the primaries. McCarthy, R-Calif., pushed to unseat Good and seven other House Republicans who voted to oust him.
McCarthy has already fallen short in his push to unseat Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Bannon said he's been "humiliated" in his efforts.
Richmond political analyst Bob Holsworth said the close race between Good and McGuire weakens Trump's endorsement powers.
"The fact that it was so close suggests that Trump’s reach is not as deep and extensive as may have been thought," he told The Post.
Good told Newsmax Tuesday, as voters headed to the polls, that he still supports Trump, even though the former president didn't back him.
He also insisted he was the best choice to help Trump win the White House.
"We have no choice but to elect him," said Good. "After four years of [Joe] Biden, everybody is doing worse, except the illegal aliens. ... I'll continue to support President Trump and do everything I can to help him get elected and help him win Virginia."
McGuire, however, told Newsmax Tuesday that he's been loyal to Trump since the beginning, unlike Good, who he said "went around the district trashing Trump, saying he's the only man that could lose to Biden."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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