From the very beginning of his campaign, 5th District Representative Bob Good has identified himself as a Trump-loving, Bible-thumping hardcore conservative. He opposes LGBTQ+ equality and abortion rights. He is hard on immigration and asylum seekers. He loves guns and police. Good is now six months into his two-year term. Thus far, the votes he’s cast and legislation he’s introduced have reflected his state priorities, though none of the 19 bills he’s introduced have made it through their committees.
In a controversial drive-thru convention last June, Good—a former Campbell County supervisor, Liberty University athletics fundraiser, and a wrestling coach—defeated former Representative Denver Riggleman, accusing him of not being conservative enough after Riggleman officiated a gay wedding in 2019. Good went on to beat Democrat Dr. Cameron Webb in November by about five points.
In January, Good kicked off his term by formally rejecting the results of the 2020 presidential election, joining eight Republican senators and more than 100 Republican representatives in accusing the Democrats of committing massive election fraud and stealing the race from Trump. (Federal and state judges have found no evidence supporting these claims.) Right after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Good continued to push for the exclusion of several states won by Democrats from the Electoral College tally.
More recently, Good voted against creating a federal commission to investigate the insurrection, and awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol. During the attack, over 140 officers were injured. One later died from his injuries, and two died by suicide.
Over the past six months, Good has continuously voted against legislation proposed by Democrats, including bills prohibiting discrimination based on sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation; expanding voting, unionization, and collective bargaining rights; requiring background checks for all gun sales; creating a path to citizenship for DREAMERS; providing people detained while entering the country with legal counsel; making Washington, D.C., a state; protecting pregnant and older employees from workplace discrimination; and providing contraceptives to veterans without co-pays.
Good has voted with President Joe Biden just 3 percent of the time over the last six months, according to FiveThirtyEight’s congressional tracker. That places him among the most conservative quarter of the Republican caucus. The only vote Good and the President have agreed on is a bill to repeal the 2002 authorization of military force in Iraq.
In the wake of increased violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Good also refused to support the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which aims to make reporting hate crimes easier. And following last year’s protests against police brutality and systemic racism, he voted down the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which intends to increase accountability for law-enforcement misconduct.
Good’s 19 bills have included banning the use of federal funds for the Central American Minors Program; treating silencers the same as firearms accessories; requiring that schools disclose negotiations with teacher unions to receive relief funds; preventing states and local jurisdictions from interfering with worship services; and outlawing asylum for migrants who have been convicted of a crime.
Good has also gotten cozy with fellow far-right conservatives like QAnon conspiracy theorist Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. He joined Taylor Greene’s calls to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci and her protests against the House’s mask mandate. Good himself has refused to disclose whether he’s gotten vaccinated.
The representative’s disdain for pandemic safety measures comes as no surprise—during a Trump rally in December, Good praised the maskless crowd for knowing “that this is a phony pandemic.” The coronavirus had killed nearly 300,000 people in the U.S. at the time, including more than 300 in the 5th District.
Last month, Good made headlines again when he peppered Education Secretary Miguel Cardona with questions about critical race theory during a virtual House hearing. While Good pushed Cardona to ensure the federal government would not challenge state laws banning the teaching of critical race theory, New Jersey Democratic Representative Donald Norcross’ screen popped up, and someone shouted “racist!”
Next year, Good will already have at least one challenger. Last month, Brunswick-based farmer Kimberly Lowe announced that she’s running for the 5th District seat. However, she seems to agree with Good on some things—protecting Second Amendment rights and ensuring election integrity are two of her top priorities.
