John McGuire

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

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 was the Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives in in the 2024 election, having defeated the incumbent Bob Good in the primary. The final vote tally saw McGuire beating Good by 374 votes, with election results being certified on July 2. McGuire's win was upheld in a recount requested by Good. McGuire, on November 5, won against his Democratic opponent Gloria Witt. He assumed office on January 3, 2025, succeeding Good.

Early career McGuire served as a United States Navy SEAL. In 2006, after 10 years in the Military, McGuire suffered severe injuries from a trampoline accident in which he broke his neck. Afterward, 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. 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. McGuire was attacked for allegedly moving into the 56th district for the race, although this was disputed by McGuire and supporters.

In the general election, McGuire defeated health care consultant Melissa Dart by a 60% to 40% margin,

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 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.

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 was the sole vote in the Virginia Senate against a ban on child marriage in 2024.

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. 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. McGuire would defeat the incumbent Good by a margin of 370 votes. Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services

Caucus memberships

Republican Study Committee

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

Electoral history