Incumbent Rep. Bob Good (R) and John McGuire (R) are running in the Republican primary in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District on June 18, 2024.
According to University of Virginia professor Kyle Kondik, support for former President Donald Trump (R) is an issue in the race: “Though Good is very conservative ideologically, McGuire can undercut that by saying he’s not loyal.” According to University of Lynchburg professor David Richards, Good’s vote to remove Kevin McCarthy (R) as House Speaker is also a point of difference between the candidates: “Ever since the ouster of McCarthy from the speaker position, Good and some others have been viewed by the mainstream GOP as more obstructionist than team players.”
Good was first elected in 2020 and is chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. Good is running on his record, which he says includes supporting the Life at Conception Act, acting to remove Liz Cheney (R) as GOP conference chairwoman, and introducing 35 bills. Good says McGuire is a member of the political establishment, saying the primary “represents defeating the swamp’s efforts to strike back, and they have found a willing candidate in liar McGuire.”
McGuire is a state senator and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates. McGuire is running on his legislative record, which he says includes advocating for veterans and law enforcement, establishing a task force to propose improvements in law enforcement’s approach to heroin and fentanyl distribution, and increasing penalties for illegal distribution of opioids. McGuire says he is running because “for quite a while people have come up to me and said, John, please primary our congressman.” In his campaign kickoff announcement, McGuire said, “On the day our president was wrongly indicted, Bob abandoned Trump by endorsing another candidate,” in reference to Good endorsing Ron DeSantis (R) for president.
As of April 2, 2024, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball each rated the general election Solid/Safe Republican. In 2022, Good defeated Joshua Throneburg (D) 57.6%–42.2%.
All 435 seats are up for election. Republicans have a 218 to 213 majority with four vacancies. As of March 2024, 42 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election.
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 45.2% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 53.4%.
