Governor Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday night congratulated State Senator John McGuire (R-Goochland) on his apparent victory over Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) in the close Republican primary race in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.
Noting the candidates are separated by less than 400 votes, or about 0.6 percent of the more than 62,000 ballots cast, Youngkin stated he will respect Good’s “right to request a recount,” but concluded his message with a call for Republican unity.
“Ultimately, we will unite as a party and win in November,” wrote Youngkin in a post to the social media platform X.
Yesterday, the final results of the VA05 primary were sent to the Board of Elections. Senator John McGuire is ahead by 375 votes and I congratulate him on his win. The Board of Elections will certify the results on July 2, and I respect Congressman Good's right to request a…
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) June 27, 2024
McGuire (pictured above, left) reportedly declared victory at his election night party and later formally issued a statement asserting that the remaining votes would not sway the election results.
“There are still a few votes left to count, but it’s clear that all paths end with a victory,” stated McGuire.
McGuire later added, “I look forward to working with Trump to beat Joe Biden in November [and] pass Trump’s agenda in Congress.”
My life is a testament to the fact that America is the greatest country on this planet and I’m so honored to have the chance to serve her again.
— John McGuire (@JohnMcGuire4VA) June 19, 2024
Good has maintained the “race remains too close to call.”
In a statement issued on June 19, the congressman said, “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.”
This 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. Provisional ballots and mail-in ballots are also…
— Bob Good for Congress (@GoodForCongress) June 19, 2024
Good noted in a subsequent interview that the vote margin between him and McGuire sets the stage for a recount.
“This is the process, it will stretch out,” said Good, before alleging one polling station started earlier than anticipated and listing a series of possible election issues.
He added, “Everyone should want to make sure that every legal, legitimate vote is counted, and only every legal, legitimate vote is counted. That we follow the intent of the voters.”
Former President Donald Trump endorsed McGuire over Good on May 28, following a period of uncertainty after Good first endorsed DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary.
After DeSantis ended his campaign, Good quickly endorsed Trump.
Nonetheless, potentially influenced by the release of a secretly recorded video depicting Good describing Trump’s court cases as insurmountable “baggage” for Republicans, at least one member of Trump’s campaign staff vowed retribution against Good.
Youngkin, meanwhile, is set to appear with Trump at a rally on Friday in Virginia. The former president’s campaign is expected to open 11 field offices in a push to flip the commonwealth Republican in November for the first time in 20 years.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “John McGuire” by John McGuire. Photo “Glenn Youngkin” by Glenn Youngkin. Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Skip Plitt – C’ville Photography. CC BY-SA 3.0.
