Trump-backed challenger ousts Freedom Caucus chair in revenge for DeSantis support

Donald Trump has taken his revenge against the chair of the House Freedom Caucus in a primary that proves his endorsement is still a kingmaker within the Republican Party.

The race in Virginia’s 5th district was called around on Tuesday afternoon, with all 24 localities reporting. Virginia’s Department of Elections declared that John McGuire, a retired Navy SEAL and state senator, won the primary with 31,209 votes compared to Representative Bob Good’s 31,583, creating a margin of 374 votes.

McGuire swiftly declared victory and thanked Trump for the endorsement in a statement on X.

“Number one, I want to thank God,” he said. We could not have done this without my wife Tracy, our incredible team, and of course President Trump! This is the honor of a lifetime.”

On Friday, Good had told The Independent he might contest the results of the election.

Good, who has chaired the House’s most conservative caucus since January, became a target of the former president’s ire when he endorsed Trump’s primary challenger Ron DeSantis in May of 2023.

When Good endorsed him, DeSantis looked to be possibly the strongest Republican in the primary, as Trump’s legal woes were beginning to mount. The Florida governor was riding high after winning a resounding victory in his battle for re-election in 2022.

DeSantis would eventually bow out of the Republican primary days after the Iowa caucuses in January, having failed to come close to overtaking Trump in a state where his campaign had almost exclusively focused its time and efforts.

In the end, he was nearly overtaken by a surging Nikki Haley, who would go on to be the only Republican other than Trump to win a state in the GOP primary this year.

Good also earned the ire of former House