GOP hardliner Bob Good slams ‘puppet’ primary challenger who deserves ‘swamp’ DC endorsements that he says won’t hold up in Virginia as MTG and other angry Republicans promise to ‘backstabber’ Kevin McCarthy out of Congress to kick
Bob Good, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, is locked in a fierce battle for reelection, with an opponent gaining traction among members of Congress on a “revenge tour” to force him out of office.
Rep. Good (R-Va.) was among the Republicans who voted to impeach House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October — and he now faces opposition from members of the Republican Party who disagreed with the removal of the former chairman.
John McGuire, meanwhile, is targeting Good’s seat and has won the support of some high-profile lawmakers in Congress, including Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Good claims, however, are that getting more support from the “swamp” than those in the district isn’t necessarily a positive, highlighting a long list of his supporters in Virginia’s 5th District.
Good’s campaign manager told DailyMail.com that McGuire is being used as a “puppet” for those in DC who are waging a “campaign of revenge” against Good after he voted along with seven other Republicans to oust former McCarthy.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good’s re-election campaign in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District shows the fault lines in the Republican Party as those aligned with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy launch a ‘revenge campaign’ against those who voted him out
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (left), who did not want McCarthy to be booted and was herself kicked out of the Freedom Caucus, supports John McGuire’s (right) bid to replace Rep. Good to dismiss
And the congressman’s campaign says the revenge tour isn’t working.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is among the lawmakers outside Virginia looking to bolster McGuire’s effort to unseat Good — and she’s not shy about her thoughts on her right-wing colleague.
“He’s the biggest backstabber,” she told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview this week.
Greene’s vendetta against Good and his Freedom Caucus stems from the roughly 50-member group’s vote to expel her from the group behind her back. She was also aligned with McCarthy.
She noted that upon his election in 2022, Good received about $2 million from a McCarthy-focused super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), then turned around and voted to kick the California Republican out of the top House position.
“That’s an incredible amount of money, and then turn around, stab him in the back and vote to remove him as speaker. This is a pattern of behavior,” Greene said.
“I think people in Bob Good’s neighborhood need to understand what a liar and conniving Bob Good is,” she continued.
Rep. Good (center) invited some of his most prominent backers to his so-called ‘Freedom Tour’ in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, where dozens of local and state leaders are supporting his re-election bid
Greene filed a motion last month to remove new House Speaker Mike Johnson after Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who endorsed Good, used the same tactic to push out McCarthy in October.
Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, went on to campaign for McGuire during the June 18 House primaries in Virginia.
Despite previously campaigning for Good and pledging last year not to run against the conservative leader for his House seat, McGuire made a bid and is selling himself as the more pro-Trump candidate.
“He’s met President Trump and President Trump happens to like him,” Greene, who is in regular contact with the former president, said of McGuire.
Membership in the Freedom Caucus was once the height of conservative bona fides. Now a firestorm from Trump’s inner circle could threaten to drive out even the staunchest right-wing supporters.
‘My voters know and trust me. They know I represent them and their interests, not the interests of DC Swamp,” Good told DailyMail.com when asked about his challenger. ‘The people of VA-5 want a fighter with a backbone, not empty promises from yet another politician who is constantly looking for another position.’
“I am honored to have the support of countless local leaders with whom I am proud to serve and work with to restore our nation to its original vision and improve the lives of our constituents.”
DailyMail.com can exclusively share two new endorsements that Good recently picked up: House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) and Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.).
John McGuire claims he is the more Trump-centric candidate after Rep. Good in the 2016 election said Donald Trump was his last choice for president and then endorsed his top rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in 2024. Pictured: Virginia congressional candidate John McGuire with Donald Trump
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tops the list of high-profile endorsements for Good, but other lawmakers include Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Byron Donalds of Florida; Scott Perry of Pennsylvania; Eli Crane from Arizona; John Brecheen of Oklahoma; and Andrew Clyde of Georgia.
Fellow Virginia Rep. Ben Cline is also backing the head of the Freedom Caucus.
Good also has a long list of endorsements from local leaders in his Virginia district, including three sheriffs, 15 chairmen and four vice chairmen of several county GOPs in his district, five school board members and a handful of other county board members.
McGuire’s team did not provide DailyMail.com with a list of his endorsements, but in the district where he runs, his support appears to be slim.
The limited list includes a chair of the county Board of Supervisors for Campbell County, two former county supervisors for the same county, Lynchburg Mayor Stephanie Reed, who is an independent, and a sheriff from Buckingham County.
Good’s campaign emphasized that McGuire appears to have more support in the D.C. “swamp” than in the district he wants to represent.
The “swamp” recommendations Good’s campaign is referring to include Reps. Greene, Rogers, Derrick Van Orden (R-Minn.) and Austin Scott (R-Ga.).
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a close ally and former adviser to Trump, also endorsed McGuire.
Good’s campaign manager Diana Shores accused McCarthy and his allies of supporting McGuire’s candidacy in retaliation.
She told DailyMail.com: ‘Our opponent is simply a willing puppet for the Washington establishment to use in their campaign of revenge against Congressman Good, who fights and stands up for his constituents every day.’
But Good will also have to deal with his record in the 2024 presidential race.
The Virginia Republican originally endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – a disloyalty that Trump does not take lightly. Good endorsed Trump only minutes after DeSantis ended his presidential campaign.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who also endorsed DeSantis’ presidential bid and now supports Good, told DailyMail.com, “Enthusiasm for Bob Good runs deep among Virginians outside the Beltway.”
“(H)e is a proven America First conservative who is annoying all the people on the right side of the Beltway by daring to do what he said he would do,” Roy claimed, adding, “We need more Bob Goods in Congress.”
A November 2016 Facebook post showed Good saying Trump was “about my 17th choice out of 17” in the Republican primary and noting that he had supported Texas Senator Ted Cruz but would vote for Trump because the alternative was Hillary Clinton used to be.
“Bob Good won’t be eligible again when we’re done with him,” Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita told Cardinal News in January.
But so far, the embattled Virginia congressman is safe from an attack from Trump, and the former president remains silent on the race for Virginia’s fifth district.
Still, Good received the support of Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
To counter the growing support for McGuire, Good held a Freedom Tour event in his district last week with a large lineup of endorsers.
Meadows, as well as Reps. Gaetz, Clyde, Roy and Andy Biggs (R-Az.) are just some of the lawmakers who came to Virginia to support Bob Good’s re-election campaign.