Rep. Bob Good, Republican of Virginia, plans to conduct a recount after the Virginia Elections Commission certified the results of his primary election, showing the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus narrowly behind his Republican challenger.
Results from last month’s GOP primary in Virginia’s 5th District showed Sen. John McGuire ahead of Good, who faced opposition from former President Donald Trump and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, by just 374 votes, or less than 1 percentage point.
That puts the race within the margin that allows a candidate to request a recount. But the margin is wide enough that Good would have to pay the cost of a recount himself, rather than the state.
“The people of our district are reaching out to our campaign and demanding that we do a recount. Our donors, our volunteers and our supporters expect that,” Good’s campaign manager and senior adviser Diana Shores said in a statement to NBC News. “This is not about Bob Good. This is about the people of the district.”
“We’ve already received thousands of dollars in donations for our recounts,” Shores added. “We will continue the recount to resolve any questions about the fairness or transparency of the election process so voters can move forward with confidence in the general election.”
Shores’ statement came ahead of the Virginia State Board of Elections’ meeting Tuesday afternoon, during which the board certified primary results showing McGuire leading the GOP primary in the deeply Republican 5th District. Good, the chair of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, has 10 days to formally request a recount.
“I think we can safely say we had a free and fair election,” Board Chairman John O’Bannon said, according to a livestream of the meeting.
McGuire had Trump’s backing in the race and millions of dollars in support on the airwaves from outside groups, including some with ties to McCarthy. Good was one of eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy late last year.
Good had, without providing evidence, expressed concerns about the validity of the vote count in certain parts of the district.
Good is at risk of becoming the first incumbent Republican congressman to lose to a challenger this election cycle.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
