Bob Good

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Bob Good
Bob Good 117th U.S Congress.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Preceded byDenver Riggleman
Campbell County Supervisor
In office
2016 – December 2019
Preceded bySteven Marche Shockley
Succeeded bySteven Wilson Shockley
Personal details
Born (1965-09-11) September 11, 1965 (age 56)
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Tracey Good
​
(m. 1988)​
Children3
EducationLiberty University (BS, MBA)
WebsiteHouse website

Robert G. Good (born September 11, 1965)[1] is an American politician who is the U.S. representative in Virginia's 5th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education[]

Good was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and lived in North Jersey before moving to Lynchburg, Virginia, with his family at age nine.[2][3][4] He attended Liberty Christian Academy, where he was a member of the wrestling team.[5] Good was awarded a partial wrestling scholarship to Liberty University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in finance and a Master of Business Administration.[6]

Career[]

For 17 years, Good worked for Citi Financial.[7] When he announced his campaign for Congress in 2019, he was serving as an associate athletic director for development at Liberty University.[8]

Good was a member of the Campbell County board of supervisors from 2016 to 2019.[9] During his three years as a county supervisor, he supported socially conservative causes, voting to condemn the U.S. Supreme Court decision recognizing a constitutional right to same-sex marriage; to declare the county a "Second Amendment sanctuary"; and to call upon the Virginia General Assembly to restrict transgender bathroom use.[7]

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

2020[]

Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia § District 5

Good ran against incumbent Denver Riggleman in the Republican nominating convention for Virginia's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.[10] He defeated Riggleman with 58% of the vote from party delegates during a drive-through nominating convention instead of a primary election.[11] During the campaign, Good criticized Riggleman for officiating at the same-sex wedding of two former campaign volunteers, which is against Virginia law.[12][13][14]

Good campaigned on a far-right platform, espousing hard-line views on immigration policy and opposition to same-sex marriage[15] and aligning himself with President Donald Trump.[7] He called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act[7] and rejected public-health measures to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] He did not wear a face covering or encourage the wearing of face coverings at campaign events, and opposed restrictions on businesses to slow the spread of the virus.[15] Good suggested that the wearing of face coverings might be harmful.[15] In the November 3 general election, Good defeated Democratic nominee Cameron Webb, a physician, 52.6% (210,988) to 47.4% (190,315).[7]

Tenure[]

After his election, Good appeared amid the pandemic at a rally in Washington, D.C., in which Trump supporters protested the Supreme Court's rejection of a lawsuit attempting to subvert the results of the election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden.[15] During the rally, Good promoted the theory that Democrats had perpetrated a vast conspiracy to steal the election. He said that while the virus was real, the pandemic was "phony".[15] Good told a maskless crowd that "this is a phony pandemic" and, the next day, suggested that precautions to prevent the spread of the disease were a "hoax".[15]

On January 6, 2021, Good voted against certifying the election of President-elect Biden.[15] On January 17, he voted against a House bill awarding Congressional Gold Medals to the U.S. Capitol Police and the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department for their roles in protecting the Capitol and members of Congress during the storming of the United States Capitol.[16][17] He and 20 other House Republicans voted against a similar resolution in June 2021.[18]

On June 26, 2021, Good appeared at Bedford County, Virginia’s second annual militia muster, saying he was happy to be at the event with "proud patriots and constitutional conservatives who are doing their part to help strengthen our nation and to fight for the things that we believe in".[19]

In June 2021, Good was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.[20][21]

In July 2021, Good voted against the bipartisan ALLIES Act, which would increase by 8,000 the number of special immigrant visas for Afghan allies of the U.S. military during its invasion of Afghanistan, while also reducing some application requirements that caused long application backlogs; the bill passed in the House 407–16.[22]

In September 2021, Good was among 75 House Republicans to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, which contains a provision that would require women to be drafted.[23][24]

On October 26, 2021, while the House discussed anti-domestic violence legislation, Good said: "Nearly everything that plagues our society can be attributed to a failure to follow God's laws for morality and his rules for and definition of marriage and family."[25]

In October 2021, Good encouraged a group of high school students from Rappahannock County, Virginia, to defy a local school mask mandate, saying, "If nobody in Rappahannock complies, they can't stop everyone".[26]

In November 2021, Good wrote Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin a letter asking him to halt a federal mask mandate once he took office.[27]

Good was among 19 House Republicans to vote against the final passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.[28]

On January 11, 2022, Good urged fellow Republicans to boycott the Capitol Hill Club, a popular dining spot for Republican officials, after it mandated that all guests must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.[29]

Committee assignments[]

  • Committee on Education and Labor
  • Committee on Budget[30]

Caucus memberships[]

  • Freedom Caucus[31]
  • Republican Study Committee[32]

Personal life[]

Good and his wife, Tracey, have three children.[33] They live in Evington, a suburb of Lynchburg.

Good has described himself as a born-again Christian and a "biblical conservative".[34][35]

Electoral history[]

Campbell County’s Sunburst supervisorial district election, 2015[36]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Good 801 54.0
Independent Travis Lee Griffin 680 45.9
Write-in 2 0.1
Total votes 1,483 100.0
Republican gain from Independent
Virginia's 5th congressional district Republican convention, 2020[37][38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Good 1,517 58.1
Republican Denver Riggleman (incumbent) 1,020 41.9
Total votes 2,537 100.0
Virginia's 5th congressional district election, 2020 [39]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Good 210,988 52.4
Democratic Cameron Webb 190,315 47.3
Write-in 1,014 0.3
Total votes 402,317 100.0
Republican hold

References[]

  1. ^ Marcos, Cristina (November 30, 2020). "Rep.-elect Bob Good (R-Va.-05)". The Hill. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  2. ^ https://cqrcengage.com/anca/app/person/589044
  3. ^ Writer, Daniel Berti Times Staff. "Bob Good warns against 'radical socialist agenda'". Fauquier Times. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  4. ^ Kealy, Hannah McComsey & Caroline (June 15, 2020). "ABC13 sits down with Bob Good, Virginia's 5th District GOP nominee". WSET. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  5. ^ "VA-05: Bob Good (R)". The Well News | Pragmatic, Governance, Fiscally Responsible, News & Analysis. October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  6. ^ Gazette, Special to The. "Campbell County supervisor seeks bid for 5th District seat". YourGV.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e Meagan Flynn, Republican Bob Good, a former county supervisor, beats Democrat to keep Virginia House district red, Washington Post (November 4, 2020).
  8. ^ Brufke, Juliegrace (September 24, 2019). "Liberty University official to launch primary challenge to GOP's Riggleman". The Hill. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  9. ^ Amy Friedenberger, 5th District: Will a reliably Republican district flip in a turbid political year?, Roanoke Times (October 24, 2020).
  10. ^ Portnoy, Jenna (June 11, 2020). "Virginia roll-in vote to pick GOP House candidate". Fairfield Citizen. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  11. ^ FRIEDENBERGER, AMY. "UPDATE: Challenger Bob Good ousts Rep. Denver Riggleman at 5th District GOP nominating convention". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  12. ^ "Constitution of Virginia - Article I. Bill of Rights". law.lis.virginia.gov.
  13. ^ Hagemann, Hannah (June 14, 2020). "Virginia Rep. Riggleman, Who Officiated Same-Sex Wedding, Loses Republican Primary". NPR.org. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  14. ^ Green, Emma (June 13, 2020). "The Wedding That Started a Republican Civil War". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h Meagan Flynn & Laura Vozzella, Rep.-elect Bob Good calls the pandemic 'phony.' Covid-19 has killed more than 300 in his district., Washington Post (December 14, 2020).
  16. ^ "12 Republicans vote against honoring Capitol police for protecting Congress". the Guardian. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  17. ^ Annie Grayer and Kristin Wilson. "House votes to award Congressional Gold Medal to police". CNN. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  18. ^ Grayer, Annie; Wilson, Kristin (June 16, 2021). "21 Republicans vote no on bill to award Congressional Gold Medal for January 6 police officers". CNN. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  19. ^ casey.fabris@roanoke.com 540-981-3234, Casey Fabris. "'Militia ... not a scary term,' says commander of Bedford County Militia at its second annual muster". Roanoke Times. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  20. ^ "House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq War authorization". NBC News.
  21. ^ https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2021/roll172.xml
  22. ^ Quarshie, Mabinty (August 17, 2021). "These 16 Republicans voted against speeding up visas for Afghans fleeing the Taliban". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  23. ^ Zilbermints, Regina (September 23, 2021). "House passes sweeping defense policy bill". TheHill.
  24. ^ "H.R. 4350: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 -- House Vote #293 -- Sep 23, 2021". GovTrack.us.
  25. ^ Moran, Lee (October 27, 2021). "GOP Rep Blames Society's Problems On Failure To Follow God's Rules For Marriage". HuffPost. Retrieved October 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ "GOP lawmaker encourages students to not wear masks in school". www.msn.com.
  27. ^ "Congressman Bob Good asks Gov.-elect Youngkin to stop vaccine mandate".
  28. ^ "S. 1605: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 -- House Vote #405 -- Dec 7, 2021".
  29. ^ https://thehill.com/homenews/house/589196-conservatives-push-for-boycott-of-gop-club-over-dc-vaccine-mandate?amp
  30. ^ "Committees and Caucuses | Representative Bob Good". good.house.gov. January 3, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  31. ^ "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Bob Good. January 3, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  32. ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  33. ^ "Campbell County Supervisor Bob Good announces campaign launch for Congressional Representative to the Fifth District of Virginia". Altavista Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  34. ^ "How a Gay Wedding Fractured Virginia Republicans". VPM.org. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  35. ^ Fandos, Nicholas (November 4, 2020). "Bob Good, Stressing Religious Conservatism, Holds Virginia House Seat for G.O.P." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  36. ^ "Competitiveness in Campbell County - Sunburst". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  37. ^ "Report on 2020 Convention - June 13, 2020". 5th Congressional District Republican Committee. June 13, 2020.
  38. ^ "The Tellers Committee Tabulation | 5th Congressional District Republican Committee". June 13, 2020.
  39. ^ "2020 November General Official Results". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved December 20, 2020.

External links[]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 5th congressional district
2021–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
391st 		Succeeded by
Marjorie Taylor Greene
Retrieved from ""