John McGuire (Virginia politician)
American politician (born 1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Joseph McGuire III (born August 24, 1968)[1] is an American politician, businessman, and former United States Navy SEAL serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Virginia Senate from 2024 to 2025 and in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2024.
John McGuire | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Good |
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 10th district | |
| In office January 10, 2024 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Ghazala Hashmi (redistricted) |
| Succeeded by | Luther Cifers |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 56th district | |
| In office January 10, 2018 – January 10, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Farrell |
| Succeeded by | Tom Garrett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Joseph McGuire III August 24, 1968 |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Tracy McGuire |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Northwest Florida State College (attended) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1988–1998 |
| Unit | U.S. Navy SEALs |
McGuire was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017, and represented the old 56th district which comprised areas to the North and West of Richmond, Virginia. He was then elected to the newly redrawn 10th Senate district in 2023.[2]
McGuire was the Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia's 5th congressional district in the 2024 election, having defeated the incumbent Bob Good in the primary.[3] The final vote tally saw McGuire beating Good by 374 votes, with election results being certified on July 2.[4] McGuire's win was upheld in a recount requested by Good.[4][5][6] McGuire, on November 5, won against his Democratic opponent Gloria Witt.[7] He assumed office on January 3, 2025, succeeding Good.
Early career
McGuire served as a United States Navy SEAL.[8] In 2006, after 10 years in the Military, McGuire suffered severe injuries from a trampoline accident in which he broke his neck. [9][10] Afterward, McGuire founded a physical training business, SEAL Team Physical Training, that has been employed by Virginia Commonwealth University sports teams.[11]
Political career
In 2017, McGuire ran for the Virginia House of Delegates for the 56th district, then held by retiring Republican incumbent Peter Farrell. He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that his main motivation for running was that he was "interested in growing businesses in Virginia and wants to continue providing support for veterans and law enforcement officers".[12]
McGuire won a hotly contested June 2017 Republican primary with 31% of the vote, defeating five other candidates.[13] The blog Virginia Right! endorsed McGuire, noting he "came back from a horrible accident to walk and live a decent life again", as well as his Navy service and conservative views.[14] McGuire was attacked for allegedly moving into the 56th district for the race,[15] although this was disputed by McGuire and supporters.[16]
In the general election, McGuire defeated health care consultant Melissa Dart by a 60% to 40% margin,[8] despite a fundraising disadvantage, the Democrats' huge 2017 statewide gains, and Hillary Clinton's 2016 victory among district voters.[17]
McGuire spent his first two years with Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House of Delegates. His bill to put veterans' ID on Virginia drivers' licenses won approval and was signed into law.[18] Running for re-election in 2019, McGuire cited "giving teachers a 5% pay raise without raising your taxes while balancing the budget" as the key legislative achievement of his first two years, and "Jobs, the opioid crisis, and education" as the three top issues facing the next general Assembly.[19]
In October 2019, while campaigning for re-election, McGuire declined to commit to completing his second term in office, responding to widespread speculation that he was considering a congressional campaign.[20] After winning re-election in November, McGuire announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress for Virginia's 7th congressional district.[21][22] McGuire lost a closely contested convention to state Delegate Nick Freitas, who went on to narrowly lose to Abigail Spanberger in the 2020 election.
McGuire publicly opposed Virginia's ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, pointing out that the resolution had missed the deadline for ratification.[23]
McGuire attended Stop the Steal rallies throughout Virginia in 2020.[24] He has claimed the COVID-19 pandemic was a "plan-demic" designed to change voting laws and rig the 2020 presidential election.[25] McGuire admitted to attending President Donald Trump's January 6, 2021 rally in Washington, D.C., but has denied participating in the subsequent attack on the United States Capitol.[26][27]
McGuire was the sole vote in the Virginia Senate against a ban on child marriage in 2024.[28]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2024
McGuire declared his candidacy for the U.S. Congress in 2024, having been recruited by allies of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy to challenge Bob Good as part of what Politico described as a "vengeance operation" against those who voted to oust him.[3][29] McGuire was also endorsed by several members of Congress and former President Donald Trump; since Good had initially backed Ron DeSantis against Trump in the Republican presidential primaries.[30][31] McGuire would defeat the incumbent Good by a margin of 370 votes.[4]
Tenure
Rep. McGuire was sworn in to the 119th United States Congress on January 3, 2025.
Committee assignments
For the 119th Congress:[32]
Caucus memberships
Personal life
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John McGuire III | 2,732 | 30.9% | |
| Republican | Graven Winslow Craig | 2,070 | 23.4% | |
| Republican | Matt Clay Pinsker | 2,008 | 22.7% | |
| Republican | George Swifton Goodwin III | 995 | 11.3% | |
| Republican | Surya Prakash Dhakar | 952 | 10.8% | |
| Republican | John Francis Prendergast | 73 | 0.8% | |
| Total votes | 8,830 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John McGuire III | 18,792 | 59.5% | |
| Democratic | Melissa Miscione Dart | 12,761 | 40.4% | |
| Write-in | 44 | 0.1% | ||
| Total votes | 31,597 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John McGuire III (incumbent) | 20,250 | 61.0% | |
| Democratic | Juanita Joan Matkins | 12,929 | 38.9% | |
| Write-in | 36 | 0.1% | ||
| Total votes | 33,215 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John McGuire III (incumbent) | 27,706 | 61.6% | |
| Democratic | Blakely Kathryn Lockhart | 17,187 | 38.2% | |
| Write-in | 65 | 0.1% | ||
| Total votes | 44,958 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John McGuire III | 59,013 | 91.16% | ||
| Write-in | 5,721 | 8.84% | |||
| Total votes | 64,734 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John J. McGuire III | 31,583 | 50.3% | |
| Republican | Bob Good (incumbent) | 31,209 | 49.7% | |
| Total votes | 62,972 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John McGuire III | 249,564 | 57.3 | |
| Democratic | Gloria Witt | 184,229 | 42.3 | |
| Write-in | 2,046 | 0.5 | ||
| Total votes | 435,839 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||