RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – The Republican head-to-head between incumbent Bob Good and John McGuire isn’t just one of Virginia’s most-watched — and expensive — congressional primaries this year but in the whole country.
And with the two far-right conservatives having similar policy positions, experts say the endorsement of former President Donald Trump will likely shape the race.
Trump endorsed state Sen. McGuire (R-Goochland) over Rep. Good (R-Va.) after the congressman backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the GOP presidential primary over Trump before eventually endorsing Trump after DeSantis dropped out.
But despite this, both have made Trump a focal point for their campaigns, aligning themselves with the former president and invoking his name during their campaigns.
VOTER GUIDE: Candidates and voting rules for Virginia’s 2024 congressional primaries
Virginia Sen. John McGuire, left, and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., right, make their way through a crowd of both supporters and protesters at a McGuire campaign rally Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Matthew Barakat)
Rich Meagher, a political science professor at Randolph-Macon College, said not much separates the two policy-wise so getting Trump’s support in a Republican primary is a big boost. But still, Meagher said, they’ve shown how important they feel Trump is for their political futures.
“I doubt there be any significant vote that their vote would differ on,” Meagher told 8News Monday about Good and McGuire. “It really is just about this kind of personal loyalty to Trump.”
McGuire has made Trump’s endorsement a central focus of his campaign, touting the former president’s support in ads, signs and even his transportation. Good has also focused on Trump, including using campaign signs with Trump’s name that he was asked to take down.
They both went to New York to stand in support of Trump during the former president’s criminal trial.
Virginia’s 5th Congressional District (courtesy of the Supreme Court of Virginia)
Good, the chair of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, played a major role in the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, was a state delegate before joining the Virginia Senate.
They are running for the GOP nomination in a Republican-leaning district that stretches from Albemarle County to the North Carolina state line. It also includes Charlottesville, Goochland, Powhatan, Louisa and parts of Hanover County.
The odd part of the primary, Meagher noted, is that Good and McGuire are two conservatives who appear aligned on major policy issues such as guns, the economy, abortion and more, but they have tried to describe the other as too liberal.
“It just shows how much the personal brand of Trump, how much his personality overshadows the entire party’s politics right now that these two men who are like identical political creatures are in this fight for the death over a congressional seat when the only difference is really their personal endorsement of or from Trump,” Meagher said.
The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., speaks during a news conference near Manhattan criminal court, May 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
On Monday night, the day before Tuesday’s primary, Trump took part in a tele-town hall for McGuire in which he said the state senator had his “complete and total endorsement” and called Good “not good.”
“McGuire was able to leverage Good’s defection into a case on why to vote for him over someone else,” Meagher told 8News.
However, Meagher believes a win by Good on Tuesday isn’t a referendum on Trump’s sway in Virginia ahead of November. He called the matchup a “win-win” for Trump, saying that if Good pulls out a victory he will look to reinforce his support for Trump before the general election.
The winner between Good and McGuire will be the favorite to take Virginia’s red-leaning 5th Congressional District in November against any of the three Democrats vying for the nomination Tuesday.
Three candidates are running for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District: Paul Riley, Gary Terry and Gloria Witt.
Paul Riley
Riley, who served in the Army for over 20 years, is an intelligence solutions lead with a defense contractor, per his campaign website. Riley’s website lists accountability and transparency among his top issues, saying he backs “curtailing the lobbying industry to prevent undue influence.”
Gary Terry
Terry, a U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduate, has been a corporate executive, entrepreneur, and executive director for the YMCA and CEO for the Boys and Girls Clubs, per his campaign website. He considers himself “a moderate pragmatic problem solver” who wants a more efficient government, his campaign site states.
Gloria Witt
Witt worked with a nuclear energy business for 32 years before becoming the founder and CEO of Define Success Coaching, which her campaign site says is “committed to developing executives and leaders that are known for their ability to produce defined results whether in a commercial, government, non-profit, or faith-based organizations.”
Per her campaign website, Witt wants to ban assault weapons, expand voting access, “restore reproductive rights” and expand basic health care access.
Rules to know for Election Day
On Election Day, polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Even after polls close, voters in line by 7 p.m. can cast a ballot. Virginia does not register voters by party, so voters can vote in Republican or Democratic state primaries.
Virginians not registered to vote can take advantage of same-day registration and cast a provisional ballot at their polling place. Voters need to bring an accepted form of identification – but one with a photo is not required.
Voters turned away from a polling place for whatever reason – unless they are at the wrong location – should ask for a provisional ballot to vote, per the state Department of Elections. You can find more answers about Election Day online.
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – The Republican head-to-head between incumbent Bob Good and John McGuire isn’t just one of Virginia’s most-watched — and expensive — congressional primaries this year but in the whole country.
And with the two far-right conservatives having similar policy positions, experts say the endorsement of former President Donald Trump will likely shape the race.
Trump endorsed state Sen. McGuire (R-Goochland) over Rep. Good (R-Va.) after the congressman backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the GOP presidential primary over Trump before eventually endorsing Trump after DeSantis dropped out.
But despite this, both have made Trump a focal point for their campaigns, aligning themselves with the former president and invoking his name during their campaigns.
VOTER GUIDE: Candidates and voting rules for Virginia’s 2024 congressional primaries
Virginia Sen. John McGuire, left, and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., right, make their way through a crowd of both supporters and protesters at a McGuire campaign rally Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Matthew Barakat)
Rich Meagher, a political science professor at Randolph-Macon College, said not much separates the two policy-wise so getting Trump’s support in a Republican primary is a big boost. But still, Meagher said, they’ve shown how important they feel Trump is for their political futures.
“I doubt there be any significant vote that their vote would differ on,” Meagher told 8News Monday about Good and McGuire. “It really is just about this kind of personal loyalty to Trump.”
McGuire has made Trump’s endorsement a central focus of his campaign, touting the former president’s support in ads, signs and even his transportation. Good has also focused on Trump, including using campaign signs with Trump’s name that he was asked to take down.
They both went to New York to stand in support of Trump during the former president’s criminal trial.
Virginia’s 5th Congressional District (courtesy of the Supreme Court of Virginia)
Good, the chair of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, played a major role in the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, was a state delegate before joining the Virginia Senate.
They are running for the GOP nomination in a Republican-leaning district that stretches from Albemarle County to the North Carolina state line. It also includes Charlottesville, Goochland, Powhatan, Louisa and parts of Hanover County.
The odd part of the primary, Meagher noted, is that Good and McGuire are two conservatives who appear aligned on major policy issues such as guns, the economy, abortion and more, but they have tried to describe the other as too liberal.
“It just shows how much the personal brand of Trump, how much his personality overshadows the entire party’s politics right now that these two men who are like identical political creatures are in this fight for the death over a congressional seat when the only difference is really their personal endorsement of or from Trump,” Meagher said.
The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., speaks during a news conference near Manhattan criminal court, May 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
On Monday night, the day before Tuesday’s primary, Trump took part in a tele-town hall for McGuire in which he said the state senator had his “complete and total endorsement” and called Good “not good.”
“McGuire was able to leverage Good’s defection into a case on why to vote for him over someone else,” Meagher told 8News.
However, Meagher believes a win by Good on Tuesday isn’t a referendum on Trump’s sway in Virginia ahead of November. He called the matchup a “win-win” for Trump, saying that if Good pulls out a victory he will look to reinforce his support for Trump before the general election.
The winner between Good and McGuire will be the favorite to take Virginia’s red-leaning 5th Congressional District in November against any of the three Democrats vying for the nomination Tuesday.
Three candidates are running for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District: Paul Riley, Gary Terry and Gloria Witt.
Paul Riley
Riley, who served in the Army for over 20 years, is an intelligence solutions lead with a defense contractor, per his campaign website. Riley’s website lists accountability and transparency among his top issues, saying he backs “curtailing the lobbying industry to prevent undue influence.”
Gary Terry
Terry, a U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduate, has been a corporate executive, entrepreneur, and executive director for the YMCA and CEO for the Boys and Girls Clubs, per his campaign website. He considers himself “a moderate pragmatic problem solver” who wants a more efficient government, his campaign site states.
Gloria Witt
Witt worked with a nuclear energy business for 32 years before becoming the founder and CEO of Define Success Coaching, which her campaign site says is “committed to developing executives and leaders that are known for their ability to produce defined results whether in a commercial, government, non-profit, or faith-based organizations.”
Per her campaign website, Witt wants to ban assault weapons, expand voting access, “restore reproductive rights” and expand basic health care access.
Rules to know for Election Day
On Election Day, polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Even after polls close, voters in line by 7 p.m. can cast a ballot. Virginia does not register voters by party, so voters can vote in Republican or Democratic state primaries.
Virginians not registered to vote can take advantage of same-day registration and cast a provisional ballot at their polling place. Voters need to bring an accepted form of identification – but one with a photo is not required.
Voters turned away from a polling place for whatever reason – unless they are at the wrong location – should ask for a provisional ballot to vote, per the state Department of Elections. You can find more answers about Election Day online.