Fifth District: Bob Good wins Fifth District congressional seat by 6.5-point margin

The late small lead in the polls for Democrat Cameron Webb didn’t hold, as Republican Bob Good won the Fifth District congressional seat by a nearly 25,000-vote margin.

Good was at 201,191 votes, 53.1 percent, to Webb’s 176,524 votes, 46.6 percent, with 329 of the 330 precincts in the district, which stretches from the Northern Virginia exurbs, through Charlottesville-Albemarle County, all the way down to the North Carolina border, reporting.

“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, it has truly been an honor to run to represent this district in Congress,” Webb said in a statement. “This campaign has been a battle of ideas about how to best serve the people of our district and I cannot give enough thanks to everyone who made it possible. Congratulations to Mr. Good for his victory, and I look forward to continuing to engage with him as we move forward from the election in a unified way.”

Webb got nearly a third of his votes – 56,654 – in Charlottesville and Albemarle. The Democrat polled 84.6 percent of the vote in Charlottesville, and 68.1 percent in Albemarle.

Good ended up winning 16 of the 23 localities in the district.

Good had earlier in the year upset the incumbent congressman, Denver Riggleman, to win the Republican nomination, outflanking Riggleman to the right.

He then had to overcome being seriously outspent by Webb in the fall campaign – $4.7 million to $1.2 million all told.

“Tonight is a victory for the conservative values that founded and sustain this nation, for biblical principles, the sanctity of life, religious liberty, free-market capitalism, and the importance of faith and family,” Good said in a statement.

“The political elite said that a true conservative couldn’t win here, that this district was turning blue, that this race was a toss-up, but the voters have proven that a bright red conservative can win by standing on principle, despite being vastly outspent from outside the district. Tonight, we’ve said that America is still a great nation. I have been elected to hold the line for the idea that government exists for the people and that our rights come from our Creator. To God be the glory!” Good said.

Story by Chris Graham