Why Did the 5th Congressional District Turn on Bob Good?

“Bob Good is universally recognized to be an asshole.” -Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), who endorsed John McGuire

Politico writers Ally Mutnick and Olivia Beavers wrote a very comprehensive and blunt assessment of Virginia’s 5th Congressional District and the recount that took place a month after June’s Republican primary:

Rep. Bob Good is notorious for the scorched-earth tactics he has repeatedly used as the leader of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus. He just got burned by them.

In just two terms, Good built enemies in every wing of the Republican Party — and that opposition came out in force to align itself with state Sen. John McGuire, who defeated Good to clinch the GOP nomination for a red-leaning seat in south-central Virginia after an official recount of the June 18 primary concluded Thursday.

McGuire’s win in June’s primary is now official. Bob Good reportedly was charged $150,000 for a procedure that left almost the same result. Historically, few races are flipped through recounts.

But why did Good lose in the 5th? Everyone knows about former President Donald Trump backing McGuire, and about the many members of the 5th who were alienated by the Shores-Good crew. But what else played into it?

Here’s a look back at what happened that resulted in Good finding himself booted from his congressional seat that he has already filed to run for in 2026. Again from Politico … let’s count the ways:

1) Good was not voted out because of personal scandal or ideological beliefs. His caustic approach toward fellow Republicans and conservatives quickly made him unpopular in Congress as well as at home in the 5th.

2) Good alienated Donald Trump. Oops. Trump is nothing if not vengeful.

3) While the U.S. House has moved further right under Republican control, Good alienated colleagues in his four short years of elected office. There’s something to be said about working your way up the ladder and learning from the grassroots up.

4) A determination to block GOP legislation by any means necessary (“the means justify the ends,” is a popular right-wing motto) made Good extremely unpopular with colleagues.

5) Perhaps the biggest no-no of all was his endorsement of Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid over Trump. When DeSantis dropped out of the race, Good endorsed Trump.

6) Good made an enemy of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy by joining fellow “freedom” caucus members in tossing McCarthy out as speaker after he had served for only eight months, which caused McCarthy and his allies to target Good to unseat him from power. (Good was chairman of the “freedom” caucus when he lost his reelection primary bid in June.)

7) PACs aligned with McCarthy poured millions into the primary.

8) Good inserted himself into the primaries of GOP colleagues that caused hard feelings and resulted in revenge from them when Good’s primary came around. They included Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) who showed up in the 5th with volunteers to knock doors for McGuire, and Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon’s donors contributed to McGuire’s coffers.

9) Even a fellow “freedom” caucus member, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), endorsed McGuire. Ouch.

10) The PAC, “Defending Main Street,” that normally defends pragmatic, main street Republicans, broke its own rule not to actively oppose a GOP incumbent and supported McGuire.

11) Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Montana), former Navy SEAL, used his SEAL PAC to back McGuire, noting that Good was “destructive to the Republican party, Congress, the Freedom Caucus. And, most importantly, Good was destructive to the people in his district.” Double ouch.

12) And then there’s the quote from Wisconsin Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden: “Bob Good is universally recognized to be an asshole.” Lol. I’ve heard that crude terminology used in Virginia Republican circles. In some cases, it’s the most accurate way to describe particularly odious individuals.

13) During the primary, Good distributed signs aligning himself to Trump. But alas … Trump endorsed McGuire and then proceeded to send a cease and desist letter to the Good campaign to stop using those Trump-Good signs, while the McGuire campaign covered the district with Trump-McGuire signs.

14) Good alienated some supporters by not standing with Ukraine in its fight with Russia. His comment that he was “doing what the Republican voters in my district want me to do,” was not quite accurate because there were plenty of voters who did not agree with his viewpoints and votes.

At the very beginning before he was ever sworn in the first time after his 2020 victory, without an MD license, he called the pandemic phony. Covid-19 had killed over 300 people in his District. He noted (Washington Post):

“We have got to stop the insanity, and stop accepting the hoax that says forcing people to wear a mask, forcing businesses to close, prohibiting worship services, and keeping kids out of school will make a significant difference in whether or not we will die from this virus,” Good wrote on Twitter.

Ironically, his Democratic opponent that year was Cameron Webb, a UVA doctor who was treating Covid-19 patients, and who called Good’s comments “irresponsible and dangerous.” Nonetheless, the majority of 5th District constituents voted for Good even as the pandemic continued to rage around the world.

That was the year Good defeated Rep. Denver Riggleman for officiating a same-sex marriage of two campaign workers. It was a pretty telling indication by that point what kind of representative he was going to be in central Virginia – a purity conservative.

The 5th District has been a revolving door the past 16 years, as noted by reporter Dave Ress (Richmond Times-Dispatch):

Democrat Tom Perriello defeated Rep. Virgil Goode, R-5th, in the 2008 election. Republican Robert Hurt then beat Perriello in 2010 and served three terms before retiring. Republican Tom Garrett won the seat in 2016, but stepped down after one term, leading to Riggleman’s election in 2018. Good ousted Riggleman in 2020, then lost to McGuire four years later.

Hearing about Good’s alienation of so many colleagues and constituents so soon after arriving in the Capitol reminded of the Ronald Reagan 80-percent quote:

“The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally – not a 20 percent traitor.”

Meanwhile, Republican John McGuire, himself a member of the hard-right Trumpers who was in D.C. when the insurrection occurred on January 6, 2021, is crisscrossing the District as he campaigns for the November election against Democratic candidate Gloria Witt on November 5.