McGuire on track to defeat incumbent Rep. Good

Poll counting stopped at midnight on Wednesday earlier than a remaining winner of the Republican main might be introduced for the fifth Congressional District of Virginia. The present depend exhibits state Sen. John McGuire within the lead with 327 extra votes than incumbent U.S. Rep. Bob Good, a less-than-shocking growth you probably have been plugged into the candidates’ campaigns over the previous a number of months.Video above: Trump holds marketing campaign rally in WisconsinUnlike many different races, Good and McGuire’s bids for the first nomination have centered on their allegiance to former President Donald Trump somewhat than on variations in insurance policies, values or get together loyalty. Whereas McGuire’s efforts to persuade Virginians that Good, who backed Trump’s marketing campaign for the White Home in 2020 and 2024, is a “by no means Trumper” at one time appeared like a shedding battle, it’s now clear that the voters have been listening.The backlash towards Good from Trump-loyalists is basically because of his authentic endorsement of Ron DeSantis for president earlier than the Florida governor dropped out of the Republican main. Whereas the incumbent switched again to the previous president afterward, his resolution to assist one other candidate has led many citizens and politicians to name him a backstabber.McGuire confronted his personal challenges throughout his marketing campaign, having been elected to a four-year time period in Virginia’s state senate only one week earlier than he introduced his bid for Congress. Good pushed that McGuire was a serial campaigner, telling the Related Press, “He is actually a perpetual candidate in the hunt for a race,” having run for 5 totally different positions since 2020. Whereas his argument struck a chord for some, many citizens have been unconvinced.In February 2024, Good was kicked out of a Trump-themed retailer in Farmville, the place McGuire was permitted to host a meet and greet. The shop proprietor, Karen Angulo, instructed Good he was not invited and mentioned he was not a “real Trump supporter,” in keeping with The Each day Progress. Regardless of Good having voted in keeping with Trump at a charge of 100% throughout his presidency, in keeping with FiveThirtyEight, McGuire was capable of capitalize off the eye, writing in an announcement: “When you’re sick of Bob Good making an attempt to intimidate constituents and stab President Trump and the MAGA motion within the again, vote McGuire.”On the opposite facet of the aisle, Gloria Tinsley Witt gained the Democratic nomination within the fifth District, defeating opponents Gary Terry and Paul Riley. After the outcomes have been in, Witt mentioned in an announcement to WDBJ, “I wish to lengthen my heartfelt because of the opposite candidates who ran on this main. Their ardour and dedication to our shared values have strengthened our motion and reminded us all the significance of unity in our battle for progress. Thanks to your contributions to this race and to your dedication to our group.”Whereas the Republican main race has been fraught with name-calling and arguments about who’s extra loyal to Trump than the opposite, a latest discussion board for Democratic candidates showcased an emphasis on the “unity” that Witt mentions. On the Might occasion, the District 5 Democratic hopefuls centered on the weak factors, infighting and values of the opposing get together’s candidates somewhat than their very own direct competitors. It was much less of a dialogue about why the Virginian Democratic voter ought to vote for one candidate or the opposite and extra about why all Virginians must exit and vote towards the Republican main winner. The candidates didn’t solely agree on insurance policies, additionally they agreed on who’s the actual competitors.“Bob Good has acquired to go,” Terry mentioned. “Plain and easy.”Whereas Good, because the chief of the Home Freedom Caucus, appeared most certainly to take the spot as frontrunner within the battle for the GOP nomination, Trump’s endorsement of his opponent is likely to be the ultimate nail within the coffin for a battle that hinged on loyalty to the previous president.Regardless of Good’s reward for Trump and his historical past of voting in keeping with the ex-president whereas he was nonetheless in workplace, his assist nonetheless seems missing to many Republican voters. And since this race has little to do with insurance policies — McGuire’s web site doesn’t even listing any insurance policies, however it does have an image of Trump’s social media publish deriding Good on its homepage — even only a small dose of disloyalty may dislodge Good from the Home of Representatives as the primary incumbent to lose in a main this 12 months.Whereas many Republicans are counting on their assist of Trump to safe votes, the election leads to Virginia’s fifth District main could beg the query: How a lot do you should show your loyalty to Trump to take care of energy as the standard Republican Celebration is overthrown?McGuire ended his Tuesday night time victory speech by saying, “Let’s win this factor … let’s get Trump over the end line and let’s save America and make America nice once more,” concluding with the previous president’s marketing campaign slogan, a brand new custom for Twenty first-century GOP candidates.The Related Press contributed to this report.