The race hasn't officially been called yet, but House Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good (R-VA) appears all but certain to lose to his Trump-endorsed primary challenger, John McGuire. But he doesn't seem keen on accepting his loss just yet — and his own colleagues are starting to chuckle at his denial.
This comes after Good blamed his loss on, among other things, fires that broke out at certain polling places on election day, which public officials promptly debunked as untrue.
According to Axios, "Good has said he plans to challenge the result if the race is called for his opponent, state Sen. John McGuire, and has demanded a 'do-over' in one county. He trailed McGuire by just 368 votes out of more than 62,000 cast in the primary, with mail-in votes to be counted. Good said on Steve Bannon's podcast Monday that he'll try to block certification of the results as he seeks an investigation."
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But fellow Republicans find this refusal to accept defeat — not unlike that of former President Donald Trump as he and his associates sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election culminating in the Jan. 6 attack — to be absurd.
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"'[Of] course Bob is claiming election fraud. He is grasping at straws to help save his political career,' said Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), who endorsed McGuire," reported Axios. "Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), another McGuire endorser, said simply: 'Bob Good lost.' Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), noting that Good has focused his claims on Lynchburg despite winning there, said: 'What a loser.' 'Bob Good lost. It is very simple,' said Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.)."
And that's just what they're willing to say publicly. One anonymous House Republican told Axios, "F--- Bob Good. Bob Good is a sore loser. His defeat strengthens our majority," while another said, "I assume Bob Good is full of s---."
Virginia has been famous in the past for Republican primary incumbents being unseated, perhaps the most famous example being former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor losing in a shock upset to Tea Party activist and economics professor Dave Brat in 2014. Brat would go on to lose to Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger amid the 2018 wave election amid backlash to Trump.
