See below for video of last night’s VA05 debate between Democratic nominee Gloria Witt and Republican nominee John McGuire, as well as a few quotes by McGuire and a press release from the Democratic Party of Virginia. As you watch, keep in mind that McGuire won his primary against incumbent Rep. Bob Good (R-VA05) for one main reason: McGuire was endorsed by Donald Trump, as revenge for Good endorsing Ron DeSantis over Trump in last year’s Republican presidential primaries. Also note that McGuire is a rabid Trump cultist and loyalist, who literally was with the mob of insurrectionists outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Question: “Sen. McGuire, as we prepare for another presidential election, do you believe that Americans should have confidence in our federal election system? Will you promise to support the declared winner of the 2024 presidential contest?
McGuire: “Well, first of all I need to make it clear to everyone who studied US government that we are a constitutional republic and as a veteran I swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. And if I’m at DC using my constitutional rights to be heard, there’s nothing wrong with that. The Democrats have weaponized that for political purposes and it’s just a terrible thing about the division in our country…I didn’t know anybody by the way even broke the law went into the Capitol until I got home. But if you were there, I saw every different race, every background, every religion and American flags and walkers. To put everybody into one group because they went there to be heard, you should be heard, it’s in our constitution, it’s the First Amendment. You have a right to be heard. Over the years, even people remember Hillary Clinton challenged her election – there is nothing wrong with challenging irregularities until you you’re satisfied. If – and you think about this – we had this pandemic, some people call it the *plandemic* – now listen up – under the guise of the ‘plandemic’ or the pandemic, they came up with election *season* in Virginia, not election day but 45 days. In one state California, they said if you want to have a a voter ID, you should be arrested for that. So they changed the rules. If they were only for the pandemic, then after the pandemic they should have changed them back and they didn’t. So let’s see what the elections are and if it’s fair it’s fair and I’ll totally support that.” [NOTE: Pretty much every word of this – “plandemic,” seriously??? California was going to arrest people for requesting a photo ID??? the insurrectionists at the US Capitol on 1/6/21 were some sort of peaceful assembly??? Hillary Clinton “challenged her election” – is insane, false, extreme, unhinged, etc. McGuire has no business serving in ANY public office, let alone in the U.S. House!]
Question: “Senator McGuire, what role do you believe the federal government has to play education policy and how do you plan to support K-12 and postsecondary education in the Fifth District?”
McGuire: “Sure, thank you for the question. I’d like to go back to the fracking for just a second; energy is going to solve a lot of these problems.” [WTF??? First of all, the US is currently producing record amounts of energy of all types, including oil and gas. Second, what does any of that have to do with education? Ugh.]
Question: “Senator McGuire, the Biden-Harris Administration has sought to advance equity throughout the federal government. How do you understand equity and do you
support this as a goal?”
McGuire: “Well, what I would say as a veteran, as an American I love our country and I love the American people. If somebody saved your life on the battlefield, you wouldn’t care if they were male or female, tall or short, pink or blue, Democrat Republican Independent. We’re all people and if you have a good idea, you have a good idea – doesn’t matter what you call yourself; you can call yourself a Democrat or Independent, Republican. But if you have a good idea, you have a good idea. I believe in equal opportunity for all Americans. What I do not agree with is equal outcome. If I spend 10 years with a violin and you spend two weeks with a violin, we cannot be equal in that. When I look at Diversity Equity Inclusion, I’m against that. It should be meritocracy. If a plane goes down in the jungle and there’s one direction you go to save your whole team, do you want someone who’s never been in the jungle or do you want a Navy SEAL who’s an expert on survival, to keep the team alive? It should be based on merit and I don’t care if you’re pink or blue or what. If you’re the best heart surgeon, it should be meritocracy. And so to me, I believe diversity Equity Inclusion is a Marxist idea, and what I mean by that is you take the equity and substitute it for Marxism, it fits…it’s trying to get equal outcome without equal input or equal work. So equal opportunity for everybody,
absolutely, but I do not believe in equal outcome for everyone – it just doesn’t work, it’s a way to fail. And if you saw the failed, thank God by the grace of God, the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, how tall is him, 6 foot 4 or something like that, and they have very short people trying to protect him. It makes no sense, so it should be based on merit, qualifications to do the job.” [This is unhinged, insane ranting by someone who has no business serving in public service. In fact, DEI has nothing to do with requiring “equal outcomes,” nor is it “Marxist” in any way/shape/form. In fact, here’s what DEI actually is: “organizational frameworks which seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination on the basis of identity or disability.” And yes, McGuire is against that!]
[P.S. One other response by McGuire deserves a response. It’s in which he claimed to have been successful in the state legislature, supposedly passing bipartisan legislation. In fact, according to VPAP’s “batting averages”, McGuire went 2/15 this past session and 1/12 in the 2023 session, making him a godawful 3/27 combined over the past two years. Just godawful – and certainly NOT evidence that this guy deserves a PROMOTION to the US House!]
With that, here’s the video of last night’s debate, followed by the Democratic Party of Virginia’s press release. Oh, and to find out more about Democratic nominee Gloria Witt, click here!.
Disqualifying: John McGuire Defends Participation in January 6 and Won’t Commit to Accepting 2024 Election Results
During last night’s VA-05 congressional debate, Republican nominee John McGuire defended his participation in January 6, would not commit to accepting the results of the 2024 election, and spouted conspiracy theories about the pandemic. In contrast, Democratic nominee Gloria Witt—who outpaced McGuire in fundraising during the third quarter—demonstrated her commitment to pressing issues that affect everyday Virginians, such as affordable healthcare, Social Security, and accessible childcare.
McGuire’s unpopularity is not only evident among voters but within his own party. In September, the Washington Post reported that Republicans in the 5th District began organizing a write-in campaign for Congressman Bob Good, who lost the nomination to McGuire in June. Some told the Post that they wouldn’t even vote for Donald Trump because of his endorsement of McGuire. The Virginia Mercury then reported that the 5th District GOP Committee withheld funds from McGuire’s campaign. The ultimate point of desperation came when the Republican Party of Virginia forced members of the 5th District Committee to make loyalty oaths to McGuire. Four members were kicked out of the committee after they refused to support McGuire, as the Virginia Mercury reported at the end of September.
“John McGuire’s refusal to accept the truth and his embrace of baseless conspiracy theories show that he’s more interested in divisive politics than in serving the people of Virginia’s 5th Congressional District,” said DPVA Chairwoman Susan Swecker. “The 5th District deserves a representative like Gloria Witt, who prioritizes the issues that matter to our families, rather than someone fixated on an extreme agenda.”
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