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I started this summer as I normally do binge-watching a classic American program while chipping away at other projects. How I Met Your Mother was the sitcom of choice. Rewatching the familiar escapades of Ted Mosby and his friends at McLarens Pub, I didnt expect to confront the harsh reality of political grandstanding in todays partisan climate.

Let me explain. I am a generally Democratic voter in Virginias 5th Congressional District. Although it includes four urban/suburban areas Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Danville and the western fringes of Richmond it is a comfortably Republican stronghold that is geographically dominated by the states rural, Southside region. It has been represented by the GOP since 2011 and is recognized by experts as safe(ly) or solid(ly) red. Needless to say, Im not on the winning side of district-wide electoral contests too often.

Even so, I participate in every election. A few weeks ago, I researched the Democratic primary candidates, picked the one I liked best, and sent in my absentee ballot. But I didnt see much need to follow the Republican primary. I fully intended to vote against the incumbent Bob Good in the general, not to mention that November was still six months away.

What does any of this have to do with How I Met Your Mother? Virtually nothing. It was the ads that brought me to this point.

They were everywhere. Everywhere. There are Good/Trump signs along every highway. There are fliers in the mail almost every day. Every break in my binge-watching is punctured by some doomsday warning about the woke, liberal agenda. The messaging was consistent with previous Bob Good campaigns, but it was oddly persistent for a safe district. Going against my nature, I started paying attention to the commercial breaks.

One 30-second spot funded by the Conservative Outsider PAC appeared time and again. On its face, there was nothing special about it. It was your standard fearmongering attack piece, the red meat of GOP campaigning. Fiery, orange text warned voters about Goods challenger, state Sen. John McGuire, from Goochland County. According to the ad, McGuire rewarded lawbreakers and tried to give them our money by supporting handouts and taxpayer funded tuition for illegals. All the while, the requisite, intense voice-over threatened that liberals like him think Virginia is for illegals.

Liberals like him. Odd. Id voted in the Democratic primary, and McGuire wasnt on the list. Could he be a Republican challenger? That seemed unlikely.

Then I received a flier in the mail paid for by American Patriots PAC cautioning me that Good was Bad for Virginia. But why was Good bad? Lets assume for a minute that I didnt already know. According to the flier, he was anti-police, supported higher taxes and favored open borders. He also wanted to make you PAY MORE FOR EVERYTHING from gas to groceries! and repeatedly voted AGAINST funding that would keep our brave men and women in blue safe. No, not my Congressman Good! Not the chair of the House Freedom Caucus. Not the man who helped organize the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

State Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland, left, is challenging Rep. Bob Good, R-5th, in a Republican primary.

What the heck was going on?

It was only at this point that I Googled John McGuire. The first two pictures that flashed across my screen showed an unassuming man attending the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., and cheesing with Donald Trump. The next two articles I clicked on revealed that Trump not only endorsed McGuire but also sent a cease-and-desist order to Good demanding that he stop campaigning using the former presidents name. It was clear that Trump wanted McGuire not Good in Washington. McGuire would be more loyal. Other than that, however, there was very little difference between the two candidates. They would vote the same way on the issues.

These advertisements the ad spot and the mailer revealed something frightening, yet ingenious, about the GOPs political strategy. On one hand, closing ranks and running to the right are clearly the only viable options left for GOP office seekers. Republicans in my district were not given the choice between candidates at different points on the political spectrum. Instead, they were presented with two doctrinaire conservatives trying to out-conform each other. Any divergent opinion that could be advantageously construed as liberal became radical and dangerous, an enemy to be destroyed.

What was much more jarring was the realization that all this mudslinging, all this fearmongering, all this controversy wouldnt make a bit of difference come November. It doesnt matter if Good or McGuire loses on June 18. The ideology they share has already won, at least in my district. That is the brilliance of these campaigns. Two men with stunningly similar views can shore up their base and tear each other apart by crying liberal.

In light of this, we all have to be more careful. If we dont pay attention and dont stay informed, we might just believe them and sit by while they send these liberals to Congress. Please, I ask you to explore all the candidates. We really ought to know what were actually getting.

Mar 6, 1975 Cloverleaf Mall

Nov 21, 1987 Cloverleaf Mall

Feb 4, 1973 Cloverleaf Mall

Cloverleaf Mall, Nov. 21, 1987

08-19-1972 (cutline): Chesterfield County policeman aids shoppers at Cloverleaf Mall to avoid tie-ups.

04-04-1976: Cloverleaf Mall

08-08-1972 (cutline): Theater executive Symour Hoffman in projection booth of Cloverleaf Mall Twin Cinema

08-15-1972 (cutline): Workers put finishing touches on the mall area of the Cloverleaf Mall Regional Center. The first phase of the 780,000 square foot center will open tomorrow at 9:30 am.

11-19-1972 (cutline): Sears Store in Cloverleaf Mall reflects new plush look, furs included.

Zachary Clary is a historian of American political history completing a Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University and a voter in Virginias 5th Congressional District. Contact Clary at zachary.clary@vanderbilt.edu.

Original post:
Commentary: Slinging 'liberal' in 5th District GOP primary - Richmond Times-Dispatch