GOP rep refuses to accept election results, looks to block city’s ballot certification

Last week, Good’s Trump-backed opponent, John McGuire, declared victory before all the votes were counted, a sentiment reiterated by the former president in a social media post. Meanwhile, Good has said that he will seek a recount in this election. 

The Republican primary between Virginia Rep. Bob Good, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, and John McGuire, the Trump-backed state senator and former Navy Seal who attended the Capitol riot on Jan 6, 2021, is still up in the air after almost a week of balloting.

According to the Associated Press (AP), McGuire holds a slim majority of votes at just under 375 of the nearly 63,000 votes cast. Last week, he declared victory before all the votes were counted and former president Donald Trump declared him to be the winner in a social media post as well. Despite this, nearly every major news outlet has said the race is too close to call at this time.

Meanwhile, Good has said that he will seek a recount, an option under Virginia law if the winner of a given race is less than one percentage point ahead of his opponent. The AP said on Monday that although it’s unusual for a recount to shift the results of a race such as this, it’s not impossible. 

“While not unprecedented, it is rare for a race of this nature to shift by a few hundred votes during a recount,” The AP said Monday. “However, AP research has found that Virginia has a history of making small vote corrections after Election Day and that some past statewide races have shifted by hundreds of votes during a recount.”

Good would have to pay for the recount himself, as he currently trails McGuire by 0.6 of a percentage point, which is just above the threshold that would allow the state to finance a recount. 

In a Monday appearance on the “War Room,” the podcast hosted by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, Good said that he will try to block the certification of the election results in Lynchburg, the largest city in his district.

“So we’re going to do everything, Steve, to try to block certification of this election, to have a full investigation of the evidence of potential malfeasance here and make sure this election actually reflects the intent of the voters who are legitimately and legally participating,” Good said.

He also appealed for financial backing for the recount.

“I hate to be crass about it, Steve, but we depleted resources trying to win this primary,” Good added. “We believe we did win the primary even though we were vastly outspent. I need help funding the recount challenge.”

The race between Good and McGuire has divided the MAGA movement, as both men are 2020 election deniers. As The New York Times notes, this race has “highlighted the shifting alliances, personal feuds, and chaotic maneuvering that have come to define the (Republican) party as much as any ideological or policy position.”