MADISON HEIGHTS — At a campaign event in Amherst County on Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-5th District, described his intra-Republican Party battle with a state legislator challenging his allegiance to former President Donald Trump as “the highest-profile primary race in the country.”
Good, chair of the House Freedom Caucus who was among the group in Congress who engineered the historic ouster of former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last fall, is trying to secure a third term in the June 18 primary against newly elected state Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland. At a “Freedom Fighters Tour” dinner Wednesday at the Caterpillar Clubhouse in Madison Heights, Good told a large crowd of Amherst County Republicans and area supporters he believes momentum is on his side 55 days leading up to the showdown for the 5th District.
“What we have is worth fighting for,” Good said.
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He said Republicans have seen in three years under President Joe Biden, who he described as “lawless,” how much can be taken away and the country can’t take another four years, asking: “Haven’t the American people suffered enough?”
According to Good’s speech, the Democratic Party hates the Founders, the Constitution and Judeo-Christian values, and loves the “border invasion” while going after political opponents “with full abuse of power of the federal government.” Good declared he will not compromise with them, a point he said some have asked him about.
“Compromise in Washington means do what the Democrats want,” Good said, adding he doesn’t expect those on his side to join hands with them. “There are no moderates in the Democrat Party — they don’t exist anymore.”
Good also took aim at Republicans who he said campaign as conservatives but vote like moderates and are not truthful about it with voters. He spoke against the $95 billion legislative package the U.S. House of Representatives passed April 20, and the Senate backed a few days later, providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Good was among the 112 House Republicans to vote against the bill, which he described at Wednesday’s event as borrowing billions “that we don’t have,” further exacerbating the $35 trillion national debt and sending it oversees to secure Ukraine’s border and putting that country first instead of the American people and failing to secure their southern border.
In a statement, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said the Senate acted to “stand with our NATO allies and keep our word to Ukrainians” in helping the country stave off Russia’s “unlawful, brutal” attacks.
“It should never have taken this long, but I’m tremendously relieved that Congress has finally passed this critical aid and averted a potentially historic, catastrophic failure.”
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., in a statement said the legislation will provide Ukraine much-needed support in the fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “invasion,” will help Israel defend itself and address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as negotiators work on a hostage release deal and ceasefire.
Two Republican congressmen who joined Good in voting against the Ukraine aid — U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-6th District, and Tim Burchett, a House Freedom Caucus member from Tennessee — joined in Wednesday’s Freedom Fighters event. Cline voted in favor of other aspects of the bill, including funding support for Israel and humanitarian relief for people in Gaza.
Cline, who formerly represented Amherst prior to redistricting a few years ago, said it was good to be back in the county and mingled with familiar faces in the crowd upon arrival.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed having Amherst as part of the 6th District, but I can think of no one who would do a better job of representing Amherst County and the conservative views of Amherst County than your congressman, Bob Good,” Cline said.
Cline said he was “a pretty happy warrior” while serving 16 years in Richmond as a state legislator prior to joining Congress. Railing against Democrats, he said he feels “a frustration and an anger” with the current political climate and emphasized the need for conservative lawmakers to reflect their constituents’ values and concerns.
Burchett, who Good described as a “courageous conservative warrior,” also was in the group instrumental in ousting McCarthy. The Knoxville Republican criticized the $95 billion legislation being sent overseas “yet not a penny for our border” and describes Good’s opponents as “anarchists.”
“All they care about is raw power and that’s what they are going after,” Burchett said.
He described the upcoming national election as “the last great chance at democracy” and said “it’s all over” if the Republicans don’t win.
“We are staring at the abyss and the left is laughing at us,” Burchett said.
Jody Hice, a former Georgia congressman and an original House Freedom Caucus member, also turned out for Good in Amherst. Hice said one of the hardest things about not being in Congress anymore is not having the opportunity to work alongside Good.
“We are in the fight of our life right now for America,” Hice said. “This is our turf, this is our country, this is we the people, this is a country that operates based upon the consent on the governed, not on the consent of the governing.”
Patti Lyman, Republican National Committeewoman of Virginia, also strongly backed Good’s reelection and said a “supernatural turnout” is needed June 18 much like the November 2021 showing that catapulted Gov. Glenn Youngkin into office.
“You know Kevin McCarthy is after the House Freedom Caucus … he’s not just going for Bob, he’s shooting for all of them,” Lyman said.
Del. Tim Griffin, R-Bedford, who represents Amherst and Nelson counties and a portion of Bedford County, praised Good for opposing the $95 billion relief package unless Congress acted to secure America’s border. Griffin said House Speaker Mike Johnson turning to Democratic votes for the legislation to pass “made a lot of us very sad.”
“But that is one of the many reasons why Bob has a primary challenger right now, is because he has stood up and fought for us,” Griffin said.
Griffin criticized Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly for backing tax hikes this recent session at a time of record-breaking revenues.
“And I believe these congressmen deal with a lot of the same issues — no matter how much money comes in they always want to find a way to spend it and these Freedom Caucus guys stood up against it,” Griffin said.
Former Virginia Speaker of the House and Amherst resident Vance Wilkins said he is spending as much time as he can campaigning for Good’s reelection because of his courage and fighting for Republican values and holding to his promises.
“He tells you what he is going to do and then he goes out and does it,” Wilkins said.
Good said he appreciates the support of Wilkins, who “against the odds” was the driving force for flipping the Virginia House of Delegates into Republican leadership for the first time three decades ago.
“It really has been overwhelming to hear him say ‘I admire your courage in doing what you all did because I know how powerful a speaker can be,’” Good said.
McGuire and his supporters have frequently pointed out Good originally put his support behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the primary. Good quickly endorsed Trump after DeSantis dropped out of the race earlier this year.
Good said fighting “ought to be more than words” in an election with everything the GOP values on the line and he and Freedom Caucus members will not fund what he described as the Biden administration perpetrating the “border invasion.” He said many lawmakers in Washington think he is in danger of losing his seat, but they don’t know the people of the 5th District and he trusts in their decision.
Good described McGuire as a candidate in constant search of various political offices and criticized his motivation for running, describing it as akin to a pastor going to a church across the street to take another pastor’s job because he likes that church better.
“Good people don’t do this,” Good said.
Good said he has stronger backing within the district and the bulk of his opponent’s support is from outside of it.
“The McCarthy revenge tour, we’re the No. 1 target,” Good added.
In a statement to The News & Advance, McGuire said he is running because Good, a “Never Trump politician, shows us every day that he doesn’t have the temperament or leadership ability to get our country out of this mess.”
“I’m a father, a Navy SEAL, a Day One Trump supporter, a Christian conservative and a pro-life, pro-gun business owner running to help Trump Save America,” McGuire said.
He said his campaign is seeing “fantastic momentum” with endorsements from Trump ally and former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani, Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and, within the district, Lynchburg Mayor Stephanie Reed and Mike Brown, a retired Bedford County sheriff.
“Bob Good can’t be trusted,” McGuire said. “When the chips were down, Bob Good backstabbed Trump by opposing Trump in the primary. And Bob was caught on camera saying that he says one thing about Trump in public and another in private. I’ve been with Trump since he came down the escalator. We can do better than Good.”
Good took aim at those in the GOP who don’t hold to the party’s values and blame the Freedom Caucus in the fallout with voters.
“They get compared to the real thing, and they get exposed as pretenders, as counterfeits, and they hate us for it,” Good said.
Cline said many issues in Congress are “separating those who would stand up and those who would give in.”
“He will stand up with me and fight,” Cline said of Good. “And God bless him for fighting each and every day.”
Justin Faulconer, (434) 473-2607