Two first time candidates Bob Good (R) and Cameron Webb (D) are hoping to fill the empty House of Representatives seat of Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, in what projects to be an extremely close and competitive race.
Good, who served on the Campbell County Board of Supervisors from 2015 to 2019, became the Republican nominee after beating freshman U.S. Representative Denver Riggleman (R-VA-05) in a GOP convention this past June, collecting almost 60 percent of votes.
Webb, who served as a White House fellow for former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump, became the Democratic nominee after handily beating three other newcomers in a primary election, receiving roughly 67 percent of votes.
Good has been endorsed by Trump, while Webb has been endorsed by Obama.
With 10 days remaining until Election Day, The Virginia Star caught up with both campaigns to discuss how the race has gone so far and other relevant topics.
As one might expect to hear in a tight election, the campaigns said the race has gone well up to this point.
“I think Good has done a tremendous job, he has done a great job,” Chris Shores, general consultant for the Good campaign, said in an interview with The Star. “I think we have run a pretty good campaign, obviously you could always look back and say I wish I would have tweaked this or done that a little differently. But, overall, I feel like we laid out a strong campaign plan and executed our strategy well.”
A Webb campaign spokesperson, who requested not to be named, presented a similar sentiment: “The campaign has done really well, we have been hitting our targets and continuing on our path to victory. This race was considered a likely Republican seat in the Spring, then a lean Republican seat in the summer and now it’s a toss-up.”
Despite the race being widely considered as extremely close, Webb has a clear advantage in terms of campaign finance having raised significantly more money than Good so far. According to data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Good has raised $984,755 compared to Webb’s $4,661,020.
Furthermore, the two candidates have received the vast majority of their election money from disbursements, according to the FEC.
When asked how confident the candidates and their campaigns were about winning the quickly-approaching election, the responses were similar.
“I feel very good about [our chances of winning]. I know what things are looking like on the ground. The momentum is moving our way, [but] we’re clearly in a dog fight,” Shores said. “We’re fighting for every vote.”
Webb’s campaign spokesperson said they are “really confident” in their ability to win and that not one single vote can be taken for granted in a race this close.
Currently, the Cook Political Report 2020 House race ratings considers Virginia’s 5th District as a Republican toss-up.
A poll published by the Global Strategy Group earlier this month gave Webb a two-point advantage over Good. The poll surveyed 400 likely voters in the 5th District between October 4 and October 8 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent.
Virginia’s 5th District is the largest of the state, spanning from the southern border all the way to the Washington D.C. metro area and encompasses 18 counties.
Until November 3 when the winner will ultimately be decided, however, both Webb and Good will be continuing their efforts to secure votes, traveling throughout the district holding events and speaking with groups of citizens.
– – –
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Follow Jacob on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Bob Good” by Bob Good. Photo “Cameron Webb” by Cameron Webb.
