John McGuire (Virginia politician)

John Joseph McGuire III (born August 24, 1968)[1] is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He was first elected in 2017, and represents the 56th district comprising areas to the North and West of Richmond, Virginia.

John McGuire
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 56th district
Assumed office
January 10, 2018
Preceded byPeter Farrell
Personal details
Born
John Joseph McGuire III

(1968-08-24) August 24, 1968
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseTracy McGuire
Children5
ResidenceGoochland County, Virginia
EducationNorthwest Florida State College
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1988–1998

McGuire is a former United States Navy SEAL.[2] Overcoming severe injuries,[3] McGuire founded a physical training business, SEAL Team Physical Training, that has been employed by Virginia Commonwealth University sports teams.[4]

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 "interested in growing businesses in Virginia and wants to continue providing support for veterans and law enforcement officers."[5]

McGuire won a hotly contested June 2017 Republican primary with 31% of the vote, defeating five other candidates.[6] 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.[7] McGuire was attacked for allegedly moving into the 56th district for the race,[8] although this was disputed by McGuire and supporters.[9] McGuire nevertheless prevailed.

In the general election, McGuire defeated health care consultant Melissa Dart by a 59% to 40% margin,[2] despite a fundraising disadvantage, the Democrats' huge 2017 statewide gains, and Hillary Clinton's 2016 victory among district voters.[10]

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.[11] After winning re-election in November, McGuire announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress for Virginia's 7th congressional district.[12][13] McGuire lost a closely contested convention to Nick Freitas who went on to lose to Abigail Spanberger in the 2020 election.

McGuire faced criticism for his presence in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. While acknowledging media reports that he had been present at the pro-Trump rally outside of the Capitol Building, McGuire denied participating in the subsequent attack on the United States Capitol.[14]

Legislative bills and positions

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.[15] 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.[16]

McGuire publicly opposed Virginia's ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, pointing out that the resolution had missed the deadline for ratification.[17]

See also

References
  1. "Bio for John J. McGuire III". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  2. Wise, Scott (November 7, 2017). "SEAL Team PT founder John McGuire wins House of Delegates seat". WTVR-TV. Richmond. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  3. CBS 6 Richmond report, "SEAL Team PT Navy SEAL John McGuire Overcomes Impossible Odds", October 3, 2009.
  4. Peter Mason, The Commonwealth Times, "Rams basketball trains with SEALs", September 21, 2014.
  5. Bill Lukitsch, Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Eight candidates seeking seat of retiring Del. Farrell," May 28, 2017
  6. "Melissa Dart, John McGuire to face off in 56th District seat race". The Central Virginian. June 15, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  7. Elwood "Sandy" Sanders, Virginia Right!, "Virginia Right BLOG Endorsement: John McGuire III for Delegate in the 56th!," May 27, 2017
  8. Brian Landrum, The Bull Elephant blog, "John McGuire’s Vacation," May 16, 2017, http://thebullelephant.com/?s=john+mcguire
  9. Tom White, Virginia Right! Blog, “Bull Elephant Attacks Veteran Navy SEAL on Memorial Day Weekend” May 26, 2017.
  10. Blue Virginia, "Eight of Top Ten Fundraisers for Virginia House of Delegate Races Are Democrats," September 18, 2017
  11. Holtzman, David (Oct 26, 2019). "Delegate won't commit to full second term". The Central Virginian. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  12. Patrick Wilson (18 November 2019). "Del. John McGuire announces run for Va. 7th congressional district seat held by Spanberger". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  13. "Del. John McGuire announces plan to challenge Spanberger in 2020". WTVR-TV. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  14. 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.
  15. Lilly, Shannon (July 2, 2018). "DMV now offers veteran indicators on driver's licenses, ID cards". WTVR-TV. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  16. Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Voter Guide: A Q&A with candidates in 18 Richmond-area legislative contests". October 27, 2019
  17. "Virginia General Assembly Votes To Ratify Equal Rights Amendment". Virginia Public Media. 15 January 2020.
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