Republican Party rifts on display in Virginia congressional primary pitting Good and McGuire

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Bob Good is fighting a two-front battle to hold his seat in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District and with it his role as leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. And that doesn’t even count his opponent in the June 18 GOP primary, state Sen. John McGuire.

Good, who played a key role in the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has drawn the ire of establishment Republicans, who are bankrolling a campaign to oust him.

More significantly, he’s also lost the support of former President Donald Trump, who is endorsing McGuire. Good fell out of favor with Trump when he endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 presidential nomination.

Good switched his endorsement to Trump after DeSantis dropped out, but that failed to assuage the former president. On social media, Trump called Good “BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA.” Trump acknowledged that Good eventually gave him an endorsement, but it was too late: “The damage has been done.”

Trump has escalated the attacks in recent days. He issued a video endorsing McGuire and warning that Good “will stab you in the back like he did me.”

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