Bob Good loses recount and becomes first ousted House GOP incumbent

Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) suffered defeat in the recount for his June primary, making him the first House Republican incumbent to lose a primary challenge this election cycle.

Good lost the recount to John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, who won the primary by just 374 votes. The recount, which began Thursday morning , narrowed the race by just four votes with Good losing by 370.

Because the margin of victory in the primary was above half a point, Good was responsible for paying for the recount himself. Circuit Judge Claude Worrell II said ahead of the recount that he estimated the cost of the recount at $96,500 . If the updated results had revealed Good as the winner, the congressman would have been refunded.

Good is the first House Republican to lose his seat in a primary upset and the second House member overall, the first being "Squad" Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). The Virginia lawmaker is also the first House Freedom Caucus chairman to ever lose reelection.

The Virginia Republican, who has led the hard-line conservative caucus since January, has said he would resign early from his position as chairman if he loses the recount so a new leader can be elected before his term ends. The Washington Examiner reached out to Good's campaign to see whether he plans to step down following the recount.

"I want to thank the more than 31,000 voters of the 5th District who voted for me in the June 18 primary, and the thousands who volunteered, contributed, prayed, and supported my re-election campaign," Good wrote in a statement to Facebook. "While I am disappointed in the ultimate outcome, it has been my distinct honor to serve as the congressional representative for Virginia’s 5th District over the past 3.5 years."

McGuire had the backing of several of Good's Republican colleagues, including Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), a Freedom Caucus member and the only one from the caucus to endorse Good's challenger. Davidson was ousted from the caucus on July 8 after throwing his support behind McGuire. Following Davidson's ousting, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) said he would be leaving the caucus, as well.

The former Navy SEAL also had an endorsement from former President Donald Trump after Good threw his support behind Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in the GOP presidential contest. Good later switched his endorsement to Trump after DeSantis suspended his campaign, but that wasn’t enough to appease the former president, who spent months calling Good a backstabber.

McGuire thanked his supporters, including Trump, and praised what people could do when “we work as a team.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“Folks in the 5th District can rest assured that should they elect me in November, they will have an effective fighter in Congress who will get the job done,” McGuire said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Trump to defeat Kamala Harris and to helping elect Hung Cao in November. Now is the time to set our differences aside and unite as a party. Together we will Make America Great Again!”

With McGuire's win now solidified, he will go on to face Democratic candidate Gloria Witt. The seat is rated “solid Republican” with a 7-point advantage for the GOP with Good as the incumbent. It is likely to still favor Republicans with McGuire as the Republican candidate.