Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP
House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good speaks with reporters outside the US Capitol on April 19, 2024.
CNN
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The Republican primary race between Virginia Rep. Bob Good, the House Freedom Caucus chair who angered allies of former President Donald Trump and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and state Sen. John McGuire was too early to call Tuesday night.
The congressman from Virginia’s 5th Congressional District has faced a fierce effort to knock him out from a broad swath of the GOP in what became the most expensive House Republican primary of the cycle. As one of the chief architects of the move to oust McCarthy last fall, Good drew the ire of the former speaker’s allies, who spent millions seeking revenge. Good also lost Trump’s support after he endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
As of late Tuesday, less than a point separated McGuire and Good, a margin small enough for a second place finisher to call for a recount should it hold. Mail ballots can continue to arrive until Friday.
Good acknowledged the state of the race on Tuesday night.
“Right now, we’re still waiting on the final election results of today’s Primary,” he wrote on X. “As we wait, I wanted to thank you for your support thus far. You made sure your vote was cast.”
Eugene Vindman, a retired Army colonel and key figure in Trump’s first impeachment, will win the Democratic primary for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, CNN projects.
Vindman is looking to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in what is expected to be a competitive race this fall with the House GOP’s narrow majority on the line.
Vindman and his twin brother, retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, are best known for their role in the impeachment after both raised concerns about a 2019 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the call, Trump allegedly asked for an investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Alexander Vindman was a star witness during the 2020 impeachment hearing, and the twins – who both worked for the National Security Council – became heroes to Democratic activists opposed to the former president.
Vindman’s role in Trump’s impeachment likely made a difference in his campaign. While most of his primary opponents were current and former elected officials, the first-time candidate raised $5 million through May 29, federal records show. That haul was about four times as much as the combined total of the other six Democrats in the race.
Spanberger, the retiring congresswoman, is vacating her seat to run for governor next year. A former CIA officer, she won a third term in 2022 by 5 points.
Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, the veteran Republican who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, will fend off a tough primary challenge in the state’s 4th Congressional District, CNN projects.
Cole is projected to win a four-way primary that included insurance broker Paul Bondar, who loaned his campaign more than $5 million through May 29 and blanketed the airwaves with ads.
Cole, a longtime GOP operative, had the endorsement of former President Trump. But Bondar cast himself as a more conservative alternative to the veteran congressman. He also sought to undercut ties between Trump and Cole, airing ads highlighting Cole’s donations to Trump’s 2024 GOP primary rivals before they ran for president.
First elected to Congress in 2002, Cole had easily overcome primary challengers in previous elections. He has maintained close ties to conservatives in the House – and voted against certifying certain 2020 election results and against impeaching Trump twice.
“He has almost always voted with me, including on both Impeachment Hoaxes,” Trump said in his early May endorsement of Cole.
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Tuesday’s race was how new Bondar’s ties to Oklahoma are. After spending most of his career in Illinois, Bondar moved to Texas in 2020, living outside Dallas – where he voted in this March’s Republican primary. Then, in April, he launched his congressional campaign in Oklahoma. State voting records show Bondar’s early in-person ballot in his primary race is the first time he has voted in Oklahoma. Cole’s allies aired ads questioning Bondar’s residency.
The pro-Cole Americans 4 Security super PAC aired a 30-second spot that compared the primary to the Red River rivalry – a famously bitter one featuring the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas. It highlighted Cole’s long-standing Sooner State ties, including that he graduated from the University of Oklahoma, and described his opponent as “Texan Paul Bonder, straight from Dallas trying to buy an Oklahoma congressional seat.”
“Don’t let a Longhorn try to take our Sooner seat,” the ad said, referring to the two schools’ mascots.
Bondar’s campaign responded with an ad claiming that the challenger owns a home in Oklahoma and has purchased a 500-acre property “to build his dream home” in Caddo. The ad featured the previous owner, Cheyenne Stanley, saying he’d sold the Bondars both properties, the first “about two years ago.”
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
Elaine Hadley is a dedicated journalist covering the ever-evolving landscape of U.S. news. With a keen interest in politics and a commitment to uncovering the truth, she provides insightful commentary and in-depth analysis on domestic issues. When not reporting, Elaine enjoys exploring the diverse cultures and landscapes of the United States.
