Bob Good

Bob Good
Born	Robert George Good 11 9, 1965
Birthplace	Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, former athletic director
Known for	U.S. Representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district (2021–2025), Chair of the House Freedom Caucus (2024)
Education	Liberty University (BS, MBA)
Children	3
Website	[bobgoodforcongress.com Official site]

Robert George Good (born September 11, 1965) is an American politician and former athletic director who served as the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district from January 2021 to January 2025. A member of the Republican Party, Good first won election to Congress in 2020 after defeating incumbent Denver Riggleman in a contentious party nominating convention. Before entering federal politics, Good served on the Campbell County Board of Supervisors from 2016 to 2019 and worked for many years at Liberty University, his alma mater. He became chair of the House Freedom Caucus in January 2024, a position he held until his resignation in September of that year. Good's tenure in Congress was defined by his alignment with the conservative wing of the Republican Party, including his support for the removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House and his endorsement of Ron DeSantis over Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries. These positions contributed to a difficult primary challenge in 2024, in which Good was narrowly defeated by state senator John McGuire, who had been endorsed by Trump. As of 2025, Good has publicly considered running again for the seat in 2026.

Early Life

Robert George Good was born on September 11, 1965, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Details about his upbringing and family background in northeastern Pennsylvania are limited in publicly available sources. Good later relocated to Virginia, where he would build his career and enter public life.

Education

Good attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He subsequently obtained a Master of Business Administration from the same institution. His connection to Liberty University would prove significant in both his professional career and his political trajectory, as the university and its associated community formed a core part of his political base in central Virginia.

Career

Early Career and Liberty University

After completing his education, Good worked in the private sector, including a period of employment at Citi. He subsequently returned to Liberty University, where he served in an administrative capacity, working as an athletic department official. His role at the university connected him to the broader evangelical Christian community in the Lynchburg area, which would later form a significant part of his political constituency.

Campbell County Board of Supervisors

Good entered elected politics in 2015 when he won a seat on the Campbell County Board of Supervisors, representing the Sunburst district. He took office on January 1, 2016, succeeding Steven Shockley. Good served on the board through December 31, 2019, with Shockley returning to the seat after Good's departure. His time on the county board provided him with experience in local governance and helped establish his profile within Republican politics in the region.

2020 Congressional Campaign

In 2019, Good announced his candidacy for Virginia's 5th congressional district, challenging the incumbent Republican congressman Denver Riggleman. The 5th District, which at the time stretched from the northern Shenandoah Valley through Charlottesville and Lynchburg to the Dan River region near the North Carolina border, was one of the largest congressional districts on the East Coast.

The primary challenge was rooted in conservative dissatisfaction with Riggleman, who had angered elements of the Republican base by officiating a same-sex wedding for two of his campaign volunteers in 2019. The ceremony became a focal point of the intraparty dispute, drawing significant attention from social conservatives who viewed it as a departure from traditional Republican values on marriage.

The 5th District Republican Committee opted to hold a drive-through nominating convention rather than a traditional primary election, a decision that proved consequential. The convention was held on June 13, 2020, at a church in Lynchburg, where delegates cast their votes via a drive-through process amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Good defeated Riggleman at the convention, a result that drew national attention as one of the few instances of an incumbent congressman being unseated in a party nominating process.

Riggleman contested the results and alleged irregularities in the convention process, but the outcome stood. Good then advanced to the November 2020 general election, where he faced Democratic nominee Cameron Webb. Good won the general election, securing his seat in the 117th United States Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives (2021–2025)

Good was sworn in as the representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district on January 3, 2021. He quickly established himself as one of the most conservative members of the House Republican conference.

Committee Assignments and Caucus Memberships

During his time in Congress, Good served on several House committees and was a member of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House. He also became a member of the House Freedom Caucus, the bloc of conservative and libertarian-leaning House Republicans that frequently pressured GOP leadership from the right.

Congressional Gold Medal Vote

In March 2021, Good was among a group of Republican representatives who voted against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the United States Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers who responded to the January 6 Capitol attack. The vote drew criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.

Speaker of the House Controversy

Good was among the Republican members who supported the removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House in October 2023. The motion to vacate the chair, led by Representative Matt Gaetz, succeeded with the votes of eight Republicans joining all House Democrats. Good's support for McCarthy's removal placed him in direct conflict with the Republican leadership and contributed to his subsequent political difficulties.

Chair of the House Freedom Caucus

On January 1, 2024, Good assumed the chairmanship of the House Freedom Caucus, succeeding Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. The Freedom Caucus, founded in 2015, had become an influential bloc within the House Republican conference, frequently pushing for more conservative fiscal and social policies and challenging what its members viewed as insufficient commitment to conservative principles by GOP leadership.

Good's tenure as chair coincided with one of the most tumultuous periods in the caucus's history, as internal Republican divisions over spending, immigration, and political strategy continued to roil the party. His chairmanship was cut short by his primary defeat, and he resigned from the position on September 17, 2024. He was succeeded by Representative Andy Harris of Maryland.

2024 Republican Presidential Primaries

In a decision that would have significant consequences for his political career, Good endorsed Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries, rather than former President Donald Trump. This placed Good at odds with the dominant faction of the Republican Party, as Trump ultimately secured the Republican nomination with overwhelming support from the party's base. Good's endorsement of DeSantis was viewed as a significant political miscalculation and was cited as a factor in Trump's subsequent endorsement of Good's primary opponent.

2024 Primary Defeat

Good's congressional career came to an end following a bruising Republican primary in 2024. State Senator John McGuire launched a primary challenge against Good, reportedly recruited in part by Kevin McCarthy and endorsed by Donald Trump. The endorsement by Trump, motivated in part by Good's support for DeSantis and his vote to oust McCarthy, was a significant factor in the race.

The primary election, held on June 18, 2024, produced an extremely close result. McGuire was declared the winner by a margin of approximately 0.6 percentage points. Given the narrow margin, Good requested a recount. The recount was conducted and the results were certified on August 1, 2024, confirming McGuire's victory.

Good's loss was notable as the defeat of a sitting Freedom Caucus chair and represented a significant exercise of Trump's influence within Republican primary politics. It also illustrated the political risks for Republican officeholders who opposed Trump or allied with his intraparty rivals.

Good's term in Congress ended on January 3, 2025, when McGuire was sworn in as his successor.

Post-Congressional Activity

After leaving Congress, Good remained active in conservative political commentary. In May 2025, he appeared on Fox News, where he criticized Republican leadership for what he described as failures in fiscal discipline, calling spending "the big glaring weakness for all of Republican government."

Throughout 2025, Good made several media appearances, including on The Schilling Show, a radio program based in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he offered political commentary and discussed developments in Washington.

Possible 2026 Campaign

In the months following his departure from Congress, Good publicly indicated he was considering a rematch against McGuire in the 2026 election cycle. In August 2025, he stated he was "undecided" on whether to mount another campaign for the 5th District seat. By September 2025, Good indicated he expected to make a decision in "the weeks ahead." Media reports noted that several other candidates were also lining up for the 2026 race in the 5th District.

Personal Life

Good resides in Virginia. He and his wife have three children. Good's personal life has remained largely private, with limited publicly documented details beyond his family status. His connection to Liberty University and the evangelical Christian community in the Lynchburg area has been a defining feature of both his personal and professional identity.

Recognition

Good's political career attracted significant national media attention at several key junctures. His defeat of incumbent Denver Riggleman at the 2020 nominating convention was covered by major outlets including NPR, The Atlantic, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, as it represented a rare instance of an incumbent congressman being toppled in a party nomination process over the issue of same-sex marriage.

His election to the chairmanship of the House Freedom Caucus in January 2024 elevated his national profile, and his subsequent primary loss to John McGuire was covered extensively by national media, including NBC News, as a significant test of Donald Trump's influence in Republican primaries.

Legacy

Good's congressional career, while spanning only two terms, illustrated several broader trends in Republican Party politics during the early 2020s. His initial election in 2020, fueled by conservative opposition to an incumbent who had officiated a same-sex wedding, highlighted the continued importance of social conservatism in Republican primary elections, particularly in rural and exurban districts in the South.

His role in the ouster of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker and his subsequent endorsement of Ron DeSantis over Donald Trump demonstrated the political risks of challenging party leadership and opposing the dominant figure in the Republican Party. Good's narrow primary defeat in 2024 was interpreted by political analysts as evidence of Trump's ability to punish Republican officeholders who diverged from his preferred political alignment, even those with strong conservative credentials.

As chair of the House Freedom Caucus, Good represented a specific strain of Republican politics—fiscally conservative, socially traditional, and willing to challenge party leadership—that both influenced and was shaped by the broader political dynamics of the post-Trump Republican Party. His post-congressional commentary, particularly his criticism of Republican spending, suggested a continued commitment to the fiscal conservatism that defined his time in office.

The potential for a 2026 rematch against McGuire has kept Good's political future an active topic in Virginia politics, and the outcome of any such campaign would provide further evidence of the durability of intraparty factional conflicts within the Republican Party in the 5th District and beyond.