House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good begged his supporters for cash Monday to fund a recount while announcing plans to challenge the certification of his likely primary defeat.
Good (R-Va.) trails state Sen. John McGuire, who is backed by former President Donald Trump, by 368 votes in the Republican primary to represent the commonwealth’s 5th Congressional District.
“We believe we did win,” Good, 58, insisted on former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast.
“We’re going to be making a legal challenge in the next couple of days to demonstrate that [votes in] Lynchburg, the biggest city [in the district], can’t be certified,” Good added.
“There’s other concerns across the district with the results, but Lynchburg is the big key,” he went on. “We cannot win if we’re going to elect swamp creatures.”
Good has claimed that there were multiple suspicious fire alarms that went off at polling stations the night of the June 18 primary, including at his alma mater and former employer, Liberty University.
The alarm there was set off by cleaning equipment and prompted a roughly 15-minute evacuation, according to local officials.
“We had 3 ‘fires’ on election day in 3 precincts, all requiring the precincts to be evacuated for 20 minutes. Albemarle County, Hanover County, and Lynchburg City. What is the probability? Does anyone recall even 1 fire at a precinct on election day?” Good posted on X June 20.
McGuire claimed victory over Good on primary night, telling supporters that “I’m your Republican nominee.”
The Associated Press has not yet called the race for the state senator, and McGuire’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under Virginia law, recounts are not automatic, but the loser can request one if the margin is under one percentage point.
McGuire currently leads Good by 0.6 percentage points.
“Support this effort if you want true conservatives to win and not swamp creatures,” Good pleaded with Bannon’s audience.
Outside groups pumped an estimated $10.7 million into the primary race, with more than half of it aimed against Good, per an analysis from OpenSecrets.
“Just look at who’s supporting my opponent. It is the Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Eric Cantor types — the swamp folks, the RINOs for whom the endless wars, allegiance to the industrial military complex — that’s who’s funding my opponent,” Good complained.
Trump, 78, had seemingly been rankled by Good’s prior backing of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. Good later switched to Trump after it became clear he’d be the nominee.
Good was also one of eight Republicans who banded together with 208 Democrats to depose McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker last fall.
Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also stumped for McGuire and cheered the Freedom Caucus chief’s apparent defeat on primary night.
Greene had been ousted from the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus last year after a spat with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), whom Greene referred to as a “little b—.”
Whoever emerges from the primary will be heavily favored to hold the seat for the GOP in the Nov. 5 election.