The Republican main between Consultant Bob Good of Virginia, the chairman of the ultraconservative Home Freedom Caucus, and his Trump-backed challenger was nonetheless up within the air on Monday virtually every week after the balloting, as the 2 election deniers settled in for a prolonged and ugly combat over who was the true victor.
John J. McGuire, a little-known state senator and former Navy SEAL who attended the “Cease the Steal” rally outdoors the White Home on Jan. 6, 2021, held a razor-thin lead of slightly below 375 votes out of the practically 63,000 votes solid, in accordance with The Related Press. He declared victory final Tuesday evening earlier than all of the votes had been counted, and on Monday, former President Donald J. Trump, who endorsed him, declared Mr. McGuire the winner in a social media put up.
However The A.P. mentioned on Monday that the competition was too near name, noting that whereas it will be uncommon for a recount to shift the result of such a race, it will not be inconceivable. And Mr. Good has already made it clear he’ll search a recount, an possibility beneath Virginia legislation, which permits such a request if the winner of a race is lower than one share level forward of his opponent.
“Whereas not unprecedented, it’s uncommon for a race of this nature to shift by a couple of hundred votes throughout a recount,” The A.P. mentioned in explaining its discovering that the race was “too near name.” “Nevertheless, A.P. analysis has discovered that Virginia has a historical past of creating small vote corrections after Election Day and that some previous statewide races have shifted by tons of of votes throughout a recount.”
Mr. Good must pay for the recount himself as a result of he trails Mr. McGuire by 0.6 of a share level, simply above the 0.5 share level distinction under which the state would finance it.
He appeared on Monday on “Battle Room,” the podcast hosted by the previous Trump adviser Stephen Ok. Bannon, to enchantment for monetary backing for the combat, which he mentioned would come with difficult the certification of the outcomes reported by Lynchburg, the most important metropolis within the district.
“I hate to be crass about it, Steve, however we depleted assets attempting to win this main,” Mr. Good mentioned. “We consider we did win the first though we had been vastly outspent. I need assistance funding the recount problem.”
The race within the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains has largely revolved round Mr. Trump, with the 2 candidates competing to pitch themselves because the true loyalist and champion of the previous president’s hard-right agenda. It has splintered the MAGA motion and the G.O.P. itself and highlighted the shifting alliances, private feuds and chaotic maneuvering which have come to outline the occasion as a lot as any ideological or coverage place.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy additionally performed a job, searching for to defeat Mr. Good after the Virginia congressman was certainly one of eight Republicans to vote final yr to oust him from his put up.
Annie Karni contributed reporting.