U.S. Rep. Bob Good, leader of a group of hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives, faces a primary candidate Tuesday backed by both Donald Trump and a key group of moderate Republicans.
The winner of the showdown between House Freedom Caucus Chairman and former Navy SEAL John McGuire is expected to easily win the Republican-leaning southern Virginia district in the Nov. 5 election, in which control of the White House and both houses of Congress will be up for grabs.
Good angered former President Trump by supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in his Republican presidential primary campaign against Trump, only changing his support to Trump after DeSantis withdrew.
Mr. Good also drew the wrath of moderate Republicans after voting to impeach House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October, sparking weeks of chaos and bitter and bitter infighting. publicized as Republicans tried to rally around a replacement.
In May, Mr. Trump threw his support behind Mr. McGuire, a Virginia state senator and Mr. Good’s opponent, in a social media post. Defending Main Street, the super PAC affiliated with the moderate Republican group Main Street Caucus, spent $600,000 on ads to defeat Good.
“He’s Republican in name only,” said Sarah Chamberlain, executive director of the Republican Main Street Partnership, the caucus-affiliated nonprofit. The group does not make a practice of ousting incumbents, she added, calling Mr. Good a “unique situation” after he campaigned against fellow moderate Republicans in their primaries and he voted against Republican bills in the House of Representatives.
Following Mr. Trump’s support for Mr. McGuire, Mr. Good said in a statement: “I have never been the choice of the political power brokers in Washington.”
DEMOCRATS NOMINATE THEIR CANDIDATES
Virginia Democrats and Republicans will also choose candidates Tuesday to run for seats currently held by Democratic Reps. Jennifer Wexton and Abigail Spanberger, both elected in 2018 when their party took control of the House for the second half of Virginia’s term. Mr. Trump.
These districts could also play an important role in Democrats’ efforts to regain a majority in the House of Representatives in November.
In Virginia’s 7th District, Eugene Vindman, the brother of Alexander Vindman, who played a significant role in Trump’s first impeachment, is seeking the Democratic nomination for Spanberger’s seat, which she is leaving to run for the post of governor.
Derrick Anderson, a former Green Beret, and Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy Seal, are vying for the Republican nomination in this competitive district where many military families live.
In Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, Democratic candidates seeking to succeed the retiring Wexton include state Rep. Dan Helmer, state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam and former Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn. of the Virginia House of Delegates. The winner of Tuesday’s primary is strongly tipped to win this heavily Democratic district in November.
