Virginia State Senator-elect John McGuire, who announced on Wednesday he is launching a primary challenge against Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05), was described as a “prominent surrogate” for Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) in 2021.
McGuire (pictured above, left), a former U.S. Navy SEAL who is currently finishing his term as a delegate in the Virginia House before he moves to the Virginia Senate, was described by The Washington Post as “a prominent surrogate for Youngkin” who “often” introduced him at campaign events when Youngkin was campaigning in 2021.
He endorsed Youngkin on April 2, 2021, and was endorsed by Youngkin in his race for Virginia State Senate this year.
In a campaign announcement emailed to his supporters this week, McGuire charged that Good “betrayed” former President Donald Trump by endorsing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), and cited a report by German-owned Politico which noted Trump had already endorsed Good when the congressman chose not to reciprocate, and to instead endorse the Florida governor.
“I appreciate anyone who wants to serve in office, but our current Congressman has failed us time and time again,” McGuire wrote in his campaign announcement. He accused Good of being “more focused on getting on the news and serving himself than on serving the people.”
Despite Good praising the leadership of Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20) in May, he joined the effort to strip him of his speaker position in October, which McGuire stated “allowed the party to fall into chaos, costing us the 2023 elections.”
Additionally, Good’s decision to help oust McCarthy may have made the men enemies, as Politico noted McCarthy stressed the amount of money he directed to Good’s campaign in 2022, and noted his status as a “free agent” when asked whether he would consider backing McGuire against Good.
While Good may now find himself political rivals with both Trump and McCarthy, his ranks of powerful Republican enemies may now also include Youngkin, after Good criticized Youngkin and Virginia Republicans for not pushing to further restrict abortions during the 2023 elections during a Heritage Foundation event on Monday.
“What was the state of Virginia’s political leadership position on abortion? We’re okay with 94% of abortions because we want a 15-week ban.” Good characterized Youngkin’s controversial proposal as insufficient motivation for Republican voters and argued, “that’s the reason why we had low red turnout in Virginia.”
While Youngkin has not commented on McGuire’s candidacy or Good’s comments, the Goochland County Republican Committee announced it successfully voted to pass a “no confidence” resolution against McGuire the same day he announced his candidacy. In the resolution, the party claimed McGuire promised not to seek higher office until the end of his term.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “John McGuire” by John McGuire.
