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John McGuire (Virginia politician)

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John McGuire
McGuire in 2023
Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 5th district
Assuming office
January 3, 2025
SucceedingBob Good
Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2024
Preceded byGhazala Hashmi (redistricted)
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 56th district
In office
January 10, 2018 – January 10, 2024
Succeeded byTom Garrett
Personal details
Born
John Joseph McGuire III

(1968-08-24) August 24, 1968 (age 56)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseTracy McGuire
Children5
EducationNorthwest Florida State College
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1988–1998
UnitU.S. Navy SEALs

John Joseph McGuire III (born August 24, 1968)[1] is an American politician and businessman who is a member of the Virginia State Senate.

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 a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia's 5th congressional district in the 2024 election, having previously defeated the incumbent Bob Good in the Republican 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, becoming Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives.[7] He will assume office on January 3, 2025, succeeding current Representative Bob Good.

Early career

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McGuire served as a United States Navy SEAL.[8] Overcoming severe injuries from a trampoline accident,[9] McGuire founded a physical training business, SEAL Team Physical Training, that has been employed by Virginia Commonwealth University sports teams.[10]

Political career

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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."[11]

McGuire won a hotly contested June 2017 Republican primary with 31% of the vote, defeating five other candidates.[12] McGuire won the endorsement of Virginia Right! Blog, which noted he "came back from a horrible accident to walk and live a decent life again," as well as his Navy service and conservative views.[13] McGuire was attacked for allegedly moving into the 56th district for the race,[14] although this was disputed by McGuire and supporters.[15]

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.[16]

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.[17] 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.[18]

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.[19] After winning re-election in November, McGuire announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress for Virginia's 7th congressional district.[20][21] 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.[22]

McGuire attended Stop the Steal rallies throughout Virginia in 2020.[23] He has claimed the COVID-19 pandemic was a "plan-demic" designed to change voting laws and rig the 2020 presidential election.[24] 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.[25][26]

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][27] He was endorsed by several members of Congress and former President Donald Trump.[28][29] McGuire would defeat the incumbent Good by a margin of 370 votes.[4]

Personal life

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McGuire is a Baptist. He and his wife, Tracy, a real estate broker, have five children together. He previously lived in Richmond,[30] but has since moved to Goochland.[31]

Electoral history

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2017 House of Delegates District 56 Republican primary [32]
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%
2017 Virginia House of Delegates District 56 general election[33]
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
2019 Virginia House of Delegates District 56 general election[34]
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
2021 Virginia House of Delegates District 56 general election[35]
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
2023 Virginia's 10th State Senate district general election[36]
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)
Virginia's 5th Congressional district 2024 Republican primary [37]
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%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bio for John J. McGuire III". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  2. ^ Laukaitis, Tobi (May 7, 2023). "Del. John McGuire wins four-way contest for Republican nomination for state Senate seat". Cardinal News. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Beavers, Olivia; Mutnick, Ally (February 21, 2024). "Inside Kevin McCarthy's vengeance operation against the Republicans who fired him". Politico.
  4. ^ a b c Vozzella, Laura (August 1, 2024). "Trump-backed McGuire prevails over Good in rural Virginia recount". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  5. ^ "Trump-endorsed McGuire narrowly defeats Good in 5th District GOP primary". Cardinal News. June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Mutnick, Ally; Beavers, Olivia (August 1, 2024). "Recount confirms Bob Good's loss after GOP rallies to oust one of their own". Politico.
  7. ^ Progress, JASON ARMESTO The Daily (November 5, 2024). "McGuire handily wins Virginia's 5th District". The Daily Progress. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Wise, Scott (November 7, 2017). "SEAL Team PT founder John McGuire wins House of Delegates seat". WTVR-TV. Richmond. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  9. ^ CBS 6 Richmond report, "SEAL Team PT Navy SEAL John McGuire Overcomes Impossible Odds", October 3, 2009.
  10. ^ Peter Mason, The Commonwealth Times, "Rams basketball trains with SEALs", September 21, 2014.
  11. ^ Lukitsch, Bill (May 28, 2017). "Eight candidates seeking seat of retiring Del. Farrell". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  12. ^ "Melissa Dart, John McGuire to face off in 56th District seat race". The Central Virginian. June 15, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  13. ^ Elwood "Sandy" Sanders, Virginia Right!, "Virginia Right BLOG Endorsement: John McGuire III for Delegate in the 56th!," May 27, 2017
  14. ^ Brian Landrum, The Bull Elephant, "John McGuire's Vacation," May 16, 2017,
  15. ^ Tom White, Virginia Right!, “Bull Elephant Attacks Veteran Navy SEAL on Memorial Day Weekend” May 26, 2017.
  16. ^ Blue Virginia, "Eight of Top Ten Fundraisers for Virginia House of Delegate Races Are Democrats," September 18, 2017
  17. ^ Lilly, Shannon (July 2, 2018). "DMV now offers veteran indicators on driver's licenses, ID cards". WTVR-TV. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  18. ^ Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Voter Guide: A Q&A with candidates in 18 Richmond-area legislative contests". October 27, 2019
  19. ^ Holtzman, David (October 26, 2019). "Delegate won't commit to full second term". The Central Virginian. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  20. ^ Wilson, Patrick (November 18, 2019). "Del. John McGuire announces run for Va. 7th congressional district seat held by Spanberger". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  21. ^ "Del. John McGuire announces plan to challenge Spanberger in 2020". WTVR-TV. November 18, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  22. ^ "Virginia General Assembly Votes To Ratify Equal Rights Amendment". Virginia Public Media. January 15, 2020.
  23. ^ "Candidates who attended 'Stop the Steal' rally win races". AP News. November 3, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  24. ^ Vitali, Ali; Bowman, Bridget; Stewart, Kyle (June 17, 2024). "Trump, Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans gang up on Freedom Caucus chair in primary". NBC News. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  25. ^ Wilson, Patrick (August 19, 2021). "Challenger to Goochland lawmaker criticizes his presence outside Capitol at Jan. 6 insurrection". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  26. ^ Armesto, Jason (March 28, 2024). "Good, McGuire should be barred from holding office, says former DC police officer injured on Jan. 6". The Daily Progress. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  27. ^ "Big Announcement: We can do better than Good!". Friends of John McGuire. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  28. ^ Beavers, Olivia (March 19, 2024). "Endorsements for Good's primary challenger". Politico. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  29. ^ Carlton, Brian (May 29, 2024). "Donald Trump endorses candidate in Virginia's 5th District primary". The Farmville Herald. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  30. ^ "John McGuire III's Biography". Vote Smart - Facts For All. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  31. ^ Schmidt, Markus (November 5, 2024). "McGuire beats Witt in Virginia's 5th Congressional District amid GOP infighting". Virginia Mercury. States Newsroom. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  32. ^ "2017 House of Delegates Republican Primary (District 56)". Virginia Department of Elections.
  33. ^ "2017 House of Delegates General Election (District 56)". Virginia Department of Elections.
  34. ^ "2019 House of Delegates General Election (District 56)". Virginia Department of Elections.
  35. ^ "2021 House of Delegates General Election (District 56)". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  36. ^ "Member, Senate of Virginia (10th District)". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  37. ^ "Member, House of Representatives (5th District) - State Board Certified Results". Virginia Department of Elections. July 25, 2024. Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
[edit]
Virginia House of Delegates
Preceded by Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 56th district
2018–2024 		Succeeded by
Senate of Virginia
Preceded by Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 10th district
2024–present 		Incumbent
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