State Sen. John McGuire, shown here campaigning with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in Louisa County in May, won his first election in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District Tuesday. (Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
State Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland, on Tuesday prevailed in his bid to become the next congressman to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional District after defeating Democrat Gloria Witt in a contentious race marked by internal Republican turmoil.
Despite the infighting that erupted after McGuire unseated incumbent Rep. Bob Good, R-Farmville, in the June 18 primary election, McGuire managed to unite enough of the party’s base to win Tuesday’s general election with 56-43.5% of the votes, according to unofficial numbers by the Virginia Department of elections. The Associated Press called the race at 10:58 p.m.
McGuire, a former U.S. Navy SEAL who announced his bid for the Republican nomination in the 5th District just one week after winning his seat in the 10th state Senate District — a move that angered many of his fellow Republicans in the district — overcame months of tension between his supporters and loyalists of Good, who had held the seat since 2021.
A staunch conservative with deep backing from religious and hardline right-wing groups, Good lost the GOP nomination to McGuire in a heated primary that was one of the most expensive and most watched nomination contests nationwide this year.
The loss led to a fractured Republican base, with some of Good’s supporters initially refusing to back McGuire and vowing to write in the incumbent, who became nationally known for his role in ousting former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and as the chairman of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.
However, McGuire’s strong conservative platform on issues like gun rights, economic growth and national security — and his endorsement by former President Donald Trump, who disavowed Good after the congressman openly backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid — resonated with voters in the 5th District, Virginia’s largest.
But McGuire’s victory over Witt was by a much smaller margin than Good’s 56-42% win against Democrat Josh Throneburg two years ago — a fact that the ousted incumbent will likely seize on if he decides to seek the Republican nomination again in 2026.
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