Virginia certifies John McGuire's primary victory over Rep. Bob Good, who says he'll seek a recount

RICHMOND. Va. -- The Virginia State Board of Elections connected Tuesday certified the evident constrictive decision of 1 of America's astir blimpish congressmen to a challenger endorsed by erstwhile President Donald Trump successful the state's June 18 primaries.

Tuesday's certification does not extremity the matter, though. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who chairs the hard-right House Freedom Caucus successful Congress, has said helium volition question a recount present that the authorities has declared his opponent, authorities Sen. John McGuire, the victor of the superior successful Virginia's 5th Congressional District.

The borderline of triumph certified by the electoral committee was astir 375 votes retired of astir 63,000 ballots cast. oregon 0.6 percent points.

That borderline falls wrong the 1% borderline allowing a recount to beryllium requested. But due to the fact that the borderline is larger than 0.5 percent points, Good volition beryllium required to wage for the outgo of a recount himself.

Last week the AP declared the contention excessively adjacent to call, citing the likelihood of a recount.

Good has said helium volition prosecute some a recount and ineligible challenges to artifact a McGuire victory. On societal media helium called for a “do-over” successful the metropolis of Lynchburg, the largest metropolis successful the territory and a Good stronghold, citing alleged irregularities there.

Good and others person claimed that the metropolis botched the ballot number by accepting ballots from a driblet container aft Election Night.

The Lynchburg registrar has said owed to a procedural mistake that 7 ballots were retrieved from a driblet container connected the Friday aft the predetermination alternatively than connected Election Night. The registrar said, though, that they believe the ballots were dropped disconnected connected Election Day and that nary 1 witnessed immoderate of the 7 ballots being dropped disconnected aft Election Day.

Good’s campaign, successful a societal media post, besides raised skepticism astir 3 occurrence alarms that went disconnected successful 3 antithetic precincts successful the territory connected Election Day.

“AI estimates the probability being 0.0000000318% chance,” the run said of the likelihood.

Virginia elections commissioner Susan Beals said astatine Tuesday’s gathering that the occurrence alarms were triggered by attraction activities astatine schools that were hosting polling places. She praised the enactment of elections officers to unafraid ballots and said workers “ensured that nary voters were turned away.”

She said that occasional issues ever harvest up successful elections administration, “but these are not systemic problems that telephone into question the results of our elections.”

At Tuesday's gathering an predetermination lawyer representing the McGuire campaign, Daniel Bruce, said determination is nary crushed to uncertainty the results contempt efforts to undermine confidence. Bruce noted the complaints astir the Lynchburg driblet container and said that “at astir we're talking astir 7 votes.”

“We are assured successful the integrity of the predetermination and the legitimacy of the results,” Bruce said.

No 1 from the Good run spoke astatine Tuesday's meeting. Good's run manager, Diana Shores, said successful an email that Good remains committed to seeking a recount.

Now that the results person been certified, Good's run has a 10-day model successful which to record a recount petition with 1 of the circuit courts successful the 5th District.

Shores said the run does not yet person accusation it tin stock connected wherever it volition record its petition.

Both Good and McGuire are among Republicans who person raised concerns astir predetermination integrity successful the aftermath of Trump’s mendacious claims of elector fraud successful his 2020 reelection defeat. Good was among much than 100 GOP House members who voted successful January 2021 to entity to the Electoral College number from states that Trump disputed.

In an Election Eve telephone rally with Trump, McGuire urged supporters to present him a borderline of triumph “too large to rig.”

If Good loses, helium would beryllium the archetypal House incumbent nationally to suffer a superior situation this year, with the objection of 1 contention successful which 2 incumbents faced disconnected owed to redistricting.

The Good-McGuire contention highlighted the frictions successful the party and was seen arsenic a trial of Trump's clasp connected the GOP electorate. Trump labeled Good a backstabber due to the fact that Good endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arsenic the Republican campaigner for president.