GOOCHLAND, Va. (AP) — Virginia state Sen. John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, on Thursday defeated conservative U.S. Rep. Bob Good in a recount of the Republican primary results in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.
McGuire narrowly defeated Good, one of the most conservative members of Congress and chair of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus.
Election officials previously certified a narrow McGuire win in the June 18 primary, by 374 votes out of nearly 63,000 cast. But with the margin of victory at just six-tenths of a percentage point, Good was entitled to a recount.
McGuire’s margin of victory narrowed by four votes to 370 following Thursday’s recount.
“Mr. McGuire received more votes than Mr. Good and is the winner of this election,” Chief Judge Claude Worrell II said from the bench, concluding the recount.
The last votes arrived at the courthouse at about 9 p.m. Thursday — nearly 14 hours after officials began the recount process.
Around the same time, McGuire arrived at the courthouse.
“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but we won on June 18,” he told reporters before the recount result was announced.
In a statement on Facebook, Good thanked those who voted for him and supported his reelection campaign.
“While I am disappointed in the ultimate outcome, it has been my distinct honor to serve as the congressional representative for Virginia’s 5th District over the past 3.5 years,” he wrote.
Good, who has served in Congress since 2021, was one of eight Republicans who voted to oust fellow GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker in October.
After Good endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential contest, former President Trump called him a backstabber and threw his support to McGuire, a former Navy SEAL.
A three-judge panel oversaw the recount. Judge Worrell estimated last month that it would cost $96,500, though he said that amount could change.
Good was able to seek a recount because McGuire’s victory margin was less than 1 percent. But his campaign must pay for it since the margin is greater than half a percentage point.
McGuire will face Democrat Gloria Witt in the November general election. The 5th District tilts conservative.
Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
FILE - Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., speaks at a news conference held by members of the House Freedom Caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
FILE - Virginia state Sen. John McGuire, a candidate in the Republican primary in the state's 5th Congressional District, joins supporters June 18, 2024, in Lynchburg, Va. (AP Photo/Skip Rowland, File)
Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart.
This time, wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida. It was not immediately known whether the spacecraft's self-destruct system had kicked in to blow it up.
The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket blasted off from Texas. SpaceX caught the first-stage booster back at the pad with giant mechanical arms, but engines on the spacecraft on top started shutting down as it streaked eastward for what was supposed to be a controlled entry over the Indian Ocean, half a world away. Contact was lost as the spacecraft went into an out-of-control spin.
Starship reached nearly 90 miles (150 kilometers) in altitude before trouble struck and before four mock satellites could be deployed. It was not immediately clear where it came down, but images of flaming debris were captured from Florida, including near Cape Canaveral, and posted online.
The space-skimming flight was supposed to last an hour.
“Unfortunately this happened last time too, so we have some practice at this now,” SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot said from the launch site.
SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly" during the ascent engine firing. "Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses,” the company said in a statement posted online.
Starship didn't make it quite as high or as far as last time.
NASA has booked Starship to land its astronauts on the moon later this decade. SpaceX’s Elon Musk is aiming for Mars with Starship, the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket.
Like last time, Starship had mock satellites to release once the craft reached space on this eighth test flight as a practice for future missions. They resembled SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites, thousands of which currently orbit Earth, and were meant to fall back down following their brief taste of space.
Starship’s flaps, computers and fuel system were redesigned in preparation for the next big step: returning the spacecraft to the launch site just like the booster.
During the last demo, SpaceX captured the booster at the launch pad, but the spacecraft blew up several minutes later over the Atlantic. No injuries or major damage were reported.
According to an investigation that remains ongoing, leaking fuel triggered a series of fires that shut down the spacecraft’s engines. The on-board self-destruct system kicked in as planned.
SpaceX said it made several improvements to the spacecraft following the accident, and the Federal Aviation Administration recently cleared Starship once more for launch.
Starships soar out of the southernmost tip of Texas near the Mexican border. SpaceX is building another Starship complex at Cape Canaveral, home to the company’s smaller Falcon rockets that ferry astronauts and satellites to orbit.
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The booster of SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is recaptured during a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The booster of SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is recaptured during a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The booster of SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is recaptured during a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The booster of SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is recaptured during a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is prepared for a test flight in stiff winds from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is prepared for a test flight in stiff winds from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
