CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – When he campaigned in Albemarle County in February, Rep. John McGuire stood in front of signage that included a photo of himself standing next to President Donald Trump, both men flashing thumbs-up signs. The right half of the sign was a blue square with Trump’s name and his “Make America Great Again” slogan in white lettering.
Saturday night, McGuire was back at the same county coffee shop, appearing alongside former Gov. Glenn Youngkin. This time, there was no image or mention of Trump on McGuire’s promotional signs.
With Trump’s approval ratings hitting historical lows this month, McGuire – the Republican incumbent whose campaign and political identity has been tied to the President – now has to contend with the declining status of that brand as his race against Democrat Tom Perriello tightens.
“Look, I’m John McGuire and I’m running on my record,” McGuire told reporters prior to the start of Saturday’s event at First Free Coffee Bar. “Certainly I’m very supportive of Gov. Glenn Youngkin. I’m very supportive of Pres. Trump. And I’m very supportive of people at the local, state and federal level that will partner with me, regardless of party, if they’re going to help me serve the constituents in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.”
Trump’s current approval ratings track between 31 to 34% in recent national polls, as voters have grown frustrated with rising fuel costs they attribute to the President’s war in Iran, as well as other White House issues.
On Saturday, McGuire – as he has before – defended the Iran war and would not commit to voting for bipartisan sanctions against Iran and Russia when Congress returns for its lame-duck session.
“President Trump and his team are making some decisions at levels of information I don’t have,” McGuire said. “We’ll look at the information and see what’s best for the 5th District, best for Virginia and best for our country.”
This month, McGuire has made appearances with Trump officials including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and FBI Director Kash Patel.
McGuire said Trump still shows up on other signs the campaign uses and Youngkin praised McGuire’s working relationship with the White House, pointing to McGuire’s role in attracting $20 billion in future investment, which could create 7,000 high-paying jobs, to the district. Youngkin rejected the implication that he was appearing with McGuire because McGuire needed to find Republican support that wasn’t tied to the current White House.
“I’m campaigning all over the place because these are my friends,” Youngkin said. “We’ve been working together for a long time. John has gotten so much done in cooperation with President Trump and with me when I was governor.”
Youngkin criticized his successor, Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, for policies that he said are making Virginia less affordable, including her decision to put the Commonwealth back in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. He also said her decision to rescind his executive order instructing local police departments to work with federal law enforcement, including ICE, has made Virginia less safe.
Youngkin told the crowd that midterm elections, like the one McGuire is running in, tend to turn out over a million fewer voters than presidential elections.
The former governor told a crowd of about 50 McGuire supporters that they needed to do five things in advance of the Nov. 3 election: vote, urge 10 other people to vote, put a McGuire sign in their yard, donate to McGuire’s campaign and pray for him and the country. He also told them to support Republican nominee Bert Mizusawa and to vote against three proposed Constitutional amendments.
“It starts with the fact that John is one of my best friends in public service,” Youngkin told reporters. “He helped me when I first started to run and I have always helped him. It’s great to see someone with John’s character serving Virginians, particularly in the 5th Congressional District. I’m just happy to be out running around with him today, talking to voters about how important it is they get out and vote. A lot of people stay home, particularly midterm elections. So I’m encouraging everyone, get out and vote. Make your voice heard.”
