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John McGuire (Virginia politician)

John Joseph McGuire III (born August 24, 1968) 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.

McGuire is a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia's 5th congressional district in the 2024 election, facing incumbent Bob Good in the Republican primary. The final vote tally saw McGuire beating Good by a 0.6% margin and the election results will be certified on July 2. Good has promised a recount of the vote. The primary winner will go on to face Democrat Gloria Witt in the general election.

Early career

McGuire is a former United States Navy SEAL. Overcoming severe injuries from a trampoline accident, McGuire founded a physical training business, SEAL Team Physical Training, that has been employed by Virginia Commonwealth University sports teams.

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."

McGuire won a hotly contested June 2017 Republican primary with 31% of the vote, defeating five other candidates. 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. McGuire was attacked for allegedly moving into the 56th district for the race, although this was disputed by McGuire and supporters. McGuire nevertheless prevailed.

In the general election, McGuire defeated health care consultant Melissa Dart by a 59% to 40% margin, despite a fundraising disadvantage, the Democrats' huge 2017 statewide gains, and Hillary Clinton's 2016 victory among district voters.

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. 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.

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. After winning re-election in November, McGuire announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress for Virginia's 7th congressional district. McGuire lost a closely contested convention to Nick Freitas who went on to 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.

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

McGuire has 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. He was endorsed by several members of Congress and former President Donald Trump.