Bob Good

Robert 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.

Bob Good
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Denver Riggleman
Personal details
Born	September 11, 1965 Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Tracey Good ​ (m. 1988)​
Children	3
Education	Liberty University (BS, MBA)

Early life and education

Good was born in Pennsylvania and lived in North Jersey before moving to Lynchburg, Virginia, with his family at the age of nine.[2][3] Good attended Liberty Christian Academy, where he was a member of the wrestling team.[4] 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.[5]

Career

For 17 years, Good worked for Citi Financial.[6] When Good announced his campaign for Congress in 2019, he was serving as an associate athletic director for development at Liberty University.[7]

Good was a member of the Campbell County board of supervisors from 2016 to 2019.[8] During his three years as a county supervisor, Good 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.[6]

U.S. House of Representatives

2020

In the 2020 election, Good ran against incumbent Denver Riggleman in the Republican nominating convention for Virginia's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.[9] Good defeated Riggleman with 58% of the vote from party delegates during a drive-thru nominating convention instead of a primary election.[10] During the campaign, Good criticized Riggleman for officiating the same-sex wedding of two former campaign volunteers.[11][12]

Good campaigned in 2020 on a far-right platform, espousing hard-line views on immigration policy and opposition to same-sex marriage[13] and aligning himself with President Donald Trump.[6] Good called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act[6] and rejected public-health measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, a pandemic in the United States.[13] 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.[13] Good suggested, without evidence, that the wearing of face coverings might be harmful.[13] In the November 3, 2020 election, Good defeated Democratic nominee Cameron Webb, a physician.[6]

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, in which Trump was defeated by Joe Biden.[13] During the rally, Good promoted the falsehood that Democrats had perpetrated a vast conspiracy to "steal" the election. Good claimed that while the virus was real, the pandemic was "phony." [13] Good told a maskless crowd that "this is a phony pandemic" and, the following day, suggested that precautions to prevent the spread of the disease were a "hoax."

On January 6, 2021, he voted against certifying the election of President-elect Joe Biden.[13]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Education and Labor
• Committee on Budget[14]

Personal life

Good and his wife, Tracey, have three children.[15] They live in Evington, a suburb of Lynchburg.

Good is a born again Christian and has described himself as a "biblical conservative."[16][17]

Electoral history

Campbell County’s Sunburst supervisorial district election, 2015[18]

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[19][20]

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 [21]

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. Writer, Daniel Berti Times Staff. "Bob Good warns against 'radical socialist agenda'". Fauquier Times. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
3. Kealy, Hannah McComsey & Caroline (June 15, 2020). "ABC13 sits down with Bob Good, Virginia's 5th District GOP nominee". WSET. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
4. "VA-05: Bob Good (R)". The Well News | Pragmatic, Governance, Fiscally Responsible, News & Analysis. October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
5. Gazette, Special to The. "Campbell County supervisor seeks bid for 5th District seat". YourGV.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
6. Meagan Flynn, Republican Bob Good, a former county supervisor, beats Democrat to keep Virginia House district red, Washington Post (November 4, 2020).
7. Brufke, Juliegrace (September 24, 2019). "Liberty University official to launch primary challenge to GOP's Riggleman". The Hill. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
8. Amy Friedenberger, 5th District: Will a reliably Republican district flip in a turbid political year?, Roanoke Times (October 24, 2020).
9. Portnoy, Jenna (June 11, 2020). "Virginia roll-in vote to pick GOP House candidate". Fairfield Citizen. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
10. FRIEDENBERGER, AMY. "UPDATE: Challenger Bob Good ousts Rep. Denver Riggleman at 5th District GOP nominating convention". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
11. "Virginia Rep. Riggleman, Who Officiated Same-Sex Wedding, Loses Republican Primary". NPR.org. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
12. Green, Emma (June 13, 2020). "The Wedding That Started a Republican Civil War". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
13. 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).
14. "Committees and Caucuses | Representative Bob Good". good.house.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
15. "Campbell County Supervisor Bob Good announces campaign launch for Congressional Representative to the Fifth District of Virginia". Altavista Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
16. "How a Gay Wedding Fractured Virginia Republicans". VPM.org. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
17. 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.
18. "Competitiveness in Campbell County - Sunburst". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
19. "Report on 2020 Convention - June 13, 2020". 5th Congressional District Republican Committee. June 13, 2020.
20. "The Tellers Committee Tabulation | 5th Congressional District Republican Committee". June 13, 2020.
21. "2020 November General Official Results". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved December 20, 2020.

External links

• Representative Bob Good, official U.S. House website
• Campaign website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress