John McGuire (Virginia politician)

McGuire served as a United States Navy SEAL.{{cite news |last=Wise |first=Scott |date=November 7, 2017 |title=SEAL Team PT founder John McGuire wins House of Delegates seat |url=http://wtvr.com/2017/11/07/seal-team-pt-founder-john-mcguire-wins-house-of-delegates-seat/ |access-date=January 21, 2018 |work=WTVR-TV |location=Richmond}} Overcoming severe injuries from a trampoline accident,CBS 6 Richmond report, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up4qu-kYveg "SEAL Team PT Navy SEAL John McGuire Overcomes Impossible Odds"], October 3, 2009. McGuire founded a physical training business, SEAL Team Physical Training, that has been employed by Virginia Commonwealth University sports teams.Peter Mason, The Commonwealth Times, "[http://www.commonwealthtimes.org/2014/09/21/rams-basketball-trains-with-seals/ Rams basketball trains with SEALs]", September 21, 2014.

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."{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Lukitsch |newspaper=Richmond Times-Dispatch |title=Eight candidates seeking seat of retiring Del. Farrell |date=May 28, 2017}}

McGuire won a hotly contested June 2017 Republican primary with 31% of the vote, defeating five other candidates.{{cite news |title=Melissa Dart, John McGuire to face off in 56th District seat race |url=https://www.thecentralvirginian.com/news/local/melissa-dart-john-mcguire-to-face-off-in-56th-district-seat-race/article_51ee9c8e-a0e2-5fa2-9565-5567598ddb6d.html |work=The Central Virginian |date=June 15, 2017 |access-date=January 21, 2018}} 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.Elwood "Sandy" Sanders, Virginia Right!, "Virginia Right BLOG Endorsement: John McGuire III for Delegate in the 56th!," May 27, 2017 McGuire was attacked for allegedly moving into the 56th district for the race,Brian Landrum, The Bull Elephant, "[http://thebullelephant.com/?s=john+mcguire John McGuire's Vacation]," May 16, 2017, although this was disputed by McGuire and supporters.Tom White, Virginia Right!, “Bull Elephant Attacks Veteran Navy SEAL on Memorial Day Weekend” May 26, 2017.

In the general election, McGuire defeated health care consultant Melissa Dart by a 60% to 40% margin, despite a fundraising disadvantage, the Democrats' huge 2017 statewide gains, and Hillary Clinton's 2016 victory among district voters.Blue Virginia, "[https://bluevirginia.us/2017/10/eight-of-top-ten-fundraisers-for-house-of-delegates-races-are-democrats Eight of Top Ten Fundraisers for Virginia House of Delegate Races Are Democrats]," September 18, 2017

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.{{cite news |last=Lilly |first=Shannon |date=July 2, 2018 |title=DMV now offers veteran indicators on driver's licenses, ID cards |url=https://www.wtvr.com/2018/07/02/dmv-now-offers-veteran-indicators-on-drivers-licenses-id-cards/ |work=WTVR-TV |access-date=September 1, 2021}} 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.Richmond Times-Dispatch, "[https://richmond.com/news/virginia/voter-guide-a-q-a-with-candidates-in-18-richmond-area-legislative-contests/article_5534eb1a-d733-5e05-83bc-4e10d0378455.html Voter Guide: A Q&A with candidates in 18 Richmond-area legislative contests]". October 27, 2019

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.{{cite news |url=https://www.thecentralvirginian.com/news/local/delegate-won-t-commit-to-full-second-term/article_cbb8a6c6-f5cd-11e9-ba67-db96c4307e58.html |title=Delegate won't commit to full second term |last=Holtzman |first=David |date=October 26, 2019 |work=The Central Virginian |access-date=October 31, 2019}} After winning re-election in November, McGuire announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress for Virginia's 7th congressional district.{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=Wilson |title=Del. John McGuire announces run for Va. 7th congressional district seat held by Spanberger |url=https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/del-john-mcguire-announces-run-for-va-th-congressional-district/article_d4991670-9094-55ca-b7db-e8dd984ff6ed.html |newspaper=Richmond Times-Dispatch |access-date=January 16, 2020 |date=November 18, 2019}}{{cite news |title=Del. John McGuire announces plan to challenge Spanberger in 2020 |url=https://wtvr.com/2019/11/18/del-john-mcguire-announces-plan-to-challenge-spanberger-in-2020/ |work=WTVR-TV |access-date=January 16, 2020 |date=November 18, 2019}} 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.{{cite web |title=Virginia General Assembly Votes To Ratify Equal Rights Amendment |url=https://vpm.org/news/articles/9775/virginia-general-assembly-votes-to-ratify-equal-rights-amendment |website=Virginia Public Media|date=January 15, 2020 }}

McGuire attended Stop the Steal rallies throughout Virginia in 2020.{{Cite web |date=November 3, 2021 |title=Candidates who attended 'Stop the Steal' rally win races |url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-elections-presidential-elections-legislature-virginia-523be44d4f3e6a672f0d232caeb6deb6 |access-date=May 5, 2024 |website=AP News |language=en}} He has claimed the COVID-19 pandemic was a "plan-demic" designed to change voting laws and rig the 2020 presidential election.{{cite news |last1=Vitali |first1=Ali |last2=Bowman |first2=Bridget |last3=Stewart |first3=Kyle |title=Trump, Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans gang up on Freedom Caucus chair in primary |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-kevin-mccarthy-republicans-bob-good-primary-rcna157442 |access-date=27 June 2024 |work=NBC News |date=June 17, 2024}} 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.{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Patrick |date=August 19, 2021 |title=Challenger to Goochland lawmaker criticizes his presence outside Capitol at Jan. 6 insurrection |url=https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/challenger-to-goochland-lawmaker-criticizes-his-presence-outside-capitol-at-jan-6-insurrection/article_74e560bc-856f-59fb-9d34-8289733bd2f0.html |url-status=live |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820180340/https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/challenger-to-goochland-lawmaker-criticizes-his-presence-outside-capitol-at-jan-6-insurrection/article_74e560bc-856f-59fb-9d34-8289733bd2f0.html |archive-date=August 20, 2021 |access-date=August 20, 2021}}{{Cite news |last=Armesto |first=Jason |date=March 28, 2024 |title=Good, McGuire should be barred from holding office, says former DC police officer injured on Jan. 6 |url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/government-politics/good-mcguire-should-be-barred-from-holding-office-says-former-dc-police-officer-injured-on/article_31d38138-ebbf-11ee-9e95-a7e2c0face55.html |access-date=May 5, 2024 |newspaper=The Daily Progress |language=en}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Big Announcement: We can do better than Good! |url=https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Big-Announcement--We-can-do-better-than-Good-.html?soid=1127636459844&aid=PYCB2Nli2aU |access-date=December 10, 2023 |website=Friends of John McGuire}} He was endorsed by several members of Congress and former President Donald Trump.{{cite news |last1=Beavers |first1=Olivia |title=Endorsements for Good's primary challenger |url=https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/03/19/congress/endorsements-for-goods-primary-challenger-00147869 |access-date=27 June 2024 |work=Politico |date=March 19, 2024}}{{Cite news |last=Carlton |first=Brian |date=May 29, 2024 |title=Donald Trump endorses candidate in Virginia's 5th District primary |url=https://www.farmvilleherald.com/2024/05/donald-trump-endorses-candidate-in-5th-district-primary/ |access-date=May 30, 2024 |newspaper=The Farmville Herald |language=en}} McGuire would defeat the incumbent Good by a margin of 370 votes.

McGuire is a Baptist. He and his wife, Tracy, a real estate broker, have five children together. He previously lived in Richmond,{{Cite web |title=John McGuire III's Biography |url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/176388/john-mcguire-iii |website=Vote Smart - Facts For All |language=en |access-date=June 21, 2024}} but has since moved to Goochland.{{cite news|last=Schmidt|first=Markus|date=November 5, 2024|url=https://virginiamercury.com/2024/11/05/mcguire-beats-witt-in-virginias-5th-congressional-district-amid-gop-infighting/|title=McGuire beats Witt in Virginia's 5th Congressional District amid GOP infighting|work=Virginia Mercury|publisher=States Newsroom|access-date=November 18, 2024}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=2017 House of Delegates District 56 Republican primary {{Cite web|title=2017 House of Delegates Republican Primary (District 56)|url=https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/85269/ |website=Virginia Department of Elections}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=John McGuire III|votes=2,732|percentage=30.9%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Graven Winslow Craig|votes=2,070|percentage=23.4%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Matt Clay Pinsker|votes=2,008|percentage=22.7%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=George Swifton Goodwin III|votes=995|percentage=11.3%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Surya Prakash Dhakar|votes=952|percentage=10.8%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=John Francis Prendergast|votes=73|percentage=0.8%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=8,830|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=2017 Virginia House of Delegates District 56 general election{{Cite web|title=2017 House of Delegates General Election (District 56)|url=https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/87917/ |website=Virginia Department of Elections}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=John McGuire III |votes=18,792|percentage=59.5%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Melissa Miscione Dart|votes=12,761|percentage=40.4%}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change|votes=44|percentage=0.1%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=31,597|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change|winner=Republican Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=2019 Virginia House of Delegates District 56 general election{{Cite web|title=2019 House of Delegates General Election (District 56)|url=https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/134970/ |website=Virginia Department of Elections}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=John McGuire III (incumbent)|votes=20,250|percentage=61.0%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Juanita Joan Matkins|votes=12,929|percentage=38.9%}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change|votes=36|percentage=0.1%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=33,215|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change|winner=Republican Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=2021 Virginia House of Delegates District 56 general election{{Cite web|title=2021 House of Delegates General Election (District 56)|url=https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/150505/ |access-date=June 27, 2024|website=Virginia Department of Elections}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=John McGuire III (incumbent)|votes=27,706|percentage=61.6%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Blakely Kathryn Lockhart|votes=17,187|percentage=38.2%}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change|votes=65|percentage=0.1%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=44,958|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change|winner=Republican Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=2023 Virginia's 10th State Senate district general election{{Cite web|title=Member, Senate of Virginia (10th District)|url=https://enr.elections.virginia.gov/results/public/Virginia/elections/2023-Nov-Gen/ballot-items/73ba2bb8-3606-46a6-8fdd-e12c65336d21|access-date=June 27, 2024|website=Virginia Department of Elections}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=John McGuire III |votes=59,013|percentage=91.16%}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change|votes=5,721|percentage=8.84%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=64,734|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box new seat win| winner = Republican Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Virginia's 5th Congressional district 2024 Republican primary

{{Cite web |title=Member, House of Representatives (5th District) - State Board Certified Results |url=https://enr.elections.virginia.gov/results/public/Virginia/elections/2024_June_Republican_Primary/ballot-items/dbffa8cb-4b72-4187-93ca-82d3339efc57 |website=Virginia Department of Elections |date=2024-07-25 |access-date=2024-08-02 |archive-date=2024-08-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240802184806/https://enr.elections.virginia.gov/results/public/Virginia/elections/2024_June_Republican_Primary/ballot-items/dbffa8cb-4b72-4187-93ca-82d3339efc57/ |url-status=live }}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = John J. McGuire III

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| votes = 31,583

| percentage = 50.3%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Bob Good (incumbent)

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| votes = 31,209

| percentage = 49.7%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 62,972

| percentage = 100.0%

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=2024 Virginia's 5th congressional district election{{cite web |title=Election Results {{!}} Member, House of Representatives (5th District) |url=https://enr.elections.virginia.gov/results/public/Virginia/elections/2024NovemberGeneral?st=Member,%20House%20of%20Representatives%20(5th%20District)&sv=01000000-c7a0-1ae0-6a9c-08dcde4d9ddb&sm=id |publisher=Virginia Department of Elections |access-date=2025-01-08}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|candidate=John McGuire III|party=Republican Party (United States)|votes=249,564|percentage=57.3}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|candidate=Gloria Witt|party=Democratic Party (United States)|votes=184,229|percentage=42.3}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change|votes=2,046|percentage=0.5}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=435,839|percentage=100.0}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change|winner=Republican Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}

• 2020 VCDL Lobby Day

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.vpap.org/candidates/159846-john-mcguire/ John McGuire] at the Virginia Public Access Project

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Category:1968 births

Category:21st-century members of the Virginia General Assembly

Category:21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Category:Candidates in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections

Category:Henrico High School alumni

Category:Living people

Category:People from Goochland County, Virginia

Category:People from Henrico County, Virginia

Category:Politicians from Richmond, Virginia

Category:Protesters in or near the January 6 United States Capitol attack

Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia

Category:Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates

Category:Republican Party Virginia state senators

Category:United States Navy SEALs personnel