To: Interested Parties
From: Eli Cousin, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: August 4, 2026
Subject: The Case Against John McGuire
John McGuire is a complete and total creep who is making Virginians’ lives more expensive while he personally cashes in on their pain. McGuire campaigned on a pledge to lower prices. But one look at his record shows he’s done the exact opposite. Since stepping foot in Washington, McGuire has voted repeatedly for a cost-spiking war in Iran, for tariffs that are squeezing farmers, small businesses, and working families, and for higher health care costs and devastating health care cuts that are already forcing Virginians to go without the care they need. All the while, McGuire is looking out for his own bottom line – playing the stock market off of his votes in Washington and cashing checks from the special interests that he takes his marching orders from.
Unlike John McGuire, Tom Perriello works tirelessly for the people, not the powerful or any political party. Born and raised in the Charlottesville area, Tom is a lifelong native of Virginia and the Blue Ridge. In 2008, Tom was elected to Congress and provided a courageous vote for the passage of the Affordable Care Act – lowering costs and increasing access to health care for Virginians, even when it meant sacrificing politically. Tom has also spent decades fighting corruption so that working families can get a fair shot. He has never and will never take corporate PAC money, and he has stood up to the insurance industry to protect people with preexisting conditions. He has proven he will put Virginia families above all else, and that he doesn’t answer to anybody but the people he serves.
McGuire is a Total Creep Who is Too Extreme for Virginia
There is something deeply disturbing and sinister about John McGuire. He is a complete and total creep who has no business representing Virginia’s 5th Congressional District in Congress.
When Virginia lawmakers voted on an anti-pedophile law to stop grown adults from marrying 16-year-old children, every single legislator from both parties voted yes. Everyone except John McGuire. That’s right: McGuire was the only Virginia senator to vote against raising the legal age for marriage in Virginia from 16 to 18. McGuire even doubled down on his vote, saying that young girls who get pregnant need to be married. Let’s call that what it is: vile and disgusting. It’s all part of a larger pattern for McGuire, who once said it would be “very distracting” to have women serve in combat roles in the military, denigrating servicewomen who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms. His repulsive behavior helps explain why he spent months blocking the release of the Epstein files.
McGuire is such a creep that he wants to ban abortion and take away a woman’s freedom to access reproductive health care. McGuire called abortion “American Genocide,” has stated “he believes life begins at conception,” and co-sponsored a bill that would ban all abortion nationwide with no exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the woman. McGuire’s anti-abortion record will be on the ballot in November, when Virginians will have a chance to enshrine their right to an abortion into the Commonwealth’s constitution. If McGuire had his way, abortion would be banned for Virginians.
Another blaring red siren: McGuire is so extreme that he personally attended the rally that led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, which resulted in the deaths of multiple police officers. McGuire has peddled bizarre conspiracy theories, like saying that the COVID pandemic was a ploy to steal the election and that the “COVID vaccine was a ‘BLT sandwich of fetus baby parts.’” He is fundamentally not focused on the issues that matter most to Virginians.
Unlike McGuire, Tom Perriello will work with anyone to do what’s best for Virginia. He has proven that he has the courage to do what’s right – regardless of the political price. That’s why he is the best choice to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional District in Congress. He will only answer to the people he serves.
McGuire is Just Another Corrupt, Self-Serving Politician
Beyond his creepiness and extremism, it is McGuire’s corruption and devastating votes that are hurting Virginians. McGuire isn’t looking out for Virginians because he’s too busy looking out for himself and the special interests that cut big checks to his campaign.
McGuire has played the stock market in Congress, even trading off of votes that he has made while in office. A local news outlet reported that after Congress passed legislation to crack down on Wall Street investors, McGuire reacted by immediately dumping up to $15,000 worth of stock in one of the companies that will face new regulations because of that law. McGuire has traded tens of thousands of dollars worth of stock during his time in Washington, all while Virginians struggle with higher prices and devastating cuts to health care because of his votes.
When he isn’t looking out for his own portfolio, McGuire is looking out for the big corporations that are bankrolling his campaign, like health insurance companies and drug lobbyists. Need further proof that McGuire doesn’t work for Virginians? He has established a pattern of “dodg[ing] questions” from his own constituents. Local news reported that at a “rare public appearance” McGuire refused to answer for his vote to raise health care costs.
While McGuire becomes part of the culture of corruption in Washington, Tom Perriello has a record of fighting back. Tom has spent decades fighting corruption so that working families can get a fair shot. He has faced down the insurance lobbyists and interest groups corrupting our political system. He is going to Congress to force the powerful to play by the rules and to give working families a fair shot.
McGuire Jacked Up Costs and Ripped Away Health Care from Virginia Families
John McGuire campaigned on a promise to lower costs for Virginia families. Instead, McGuire arrived in Washington and has voted to unleash skyrocketing prices on his own community and has ripped away access to affordable health care.
McGuire cast the deciding vote for higher health care premiums and historic Medicaid cuts – all so that he could fund more tax cuts for billionaires. McGuire’s vote is expected to rip health insurance away from tens of thousands of people across Virginia’s 5th District and jeopardize food assistance for tens of thousands of households in his community. His vote puts Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill at risk of closure and has already forced health clinics across Virginia to shutter.
After unleashing a health care crisis on Virginia, McGuire got to work backing a reckless war of choice in Iran that has made life even more expensive, raising prices on everything from gas to groceries. McGuire has voted five times to continue the war in Iran. A congressional report shows that “Virginians have paid $1.8 billion more for gas” since the McGuire-backed war of choice started.
McGuire has also voted to support sweeping tariffs that are jacking up costs on everything from groceries to housing. McGuire voted for those cost-spiking tariffs a staggering eight different times. Reports show McGuire’s tariffs are estimated to cost the average American household $2,500 this year.
And McGuire supported devastating DOGE cuts even as they uprooted Virginia’s economy and hurt our veterans. McGuire was even “part of the DOGE caucus” and claimed to have “lots of inside information on what was going on.”
Tom Perriello knows that costs are out of control and health care is getting ripped away from hardworking Virginians – so he’s stepping up to do something about it. When Tom represented Virginia’s 5th District in Congress, he cast a courageous and decisive vote to protect people with pre-existing conditions, knowing it could cost him his seat in Congress. That’s the kind of courage Washington needs more of now. When he gets back to Congress, Tom will work with anyone to lower costs and expand access to care for Virginians. That’s what he’s always done.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
The New York Times: When Voters Worry About ‘Affordability,’ Many Point to Health Care [The New York Times, 3/23/26]
Tom Perriello, a Virginia Democrat who was swept from the House in 2010, in large part because of his vote for the Affordable Care Act, is trying for a comeback this year — but far from running away from that vote more than a dozen years ago, he’s embracing it. “What’s aged politically even better than my support for the A.C.A.,” Mr. Perriello said, “was the fact that I was pushing right to the end for it to be stronger.”
[…]
Crisscrossing the rural Virginia communities where he is likely to run […] Mr. Perriello often talks about health care, trade and farming in the same breath. It is a far cry from the town halls where the former congressman was on the defensive in 2009. He is now on offense. “Affordability can’t just be a buzzword,” he said. “It has to be an agenda. You have to look at both sides. It’s getting costs down and getting paychecks up.” “Health care impacts both sides of that,” he continued. “It’s not only an enormous expense for people, it’s also the No. 1 reason so many people haven’t gotten a raise in years.”
WVTF: Congressman makes rare public appearance, dodges questions about healthcare costs [WVTF, 6/6/26]
The Washington Post: Virginia Democrat Tom Perriello to run for his old seat in Congress [The Washington Post, 12/9/25]
In announcing his candidacy, Perriello struck a pragmatic tone […] “It is not right that Virginians are working harder and harder just to afford the rising cost of food, electricity, and health care,” Perriello said in a written statement. “We shouldn’t have to pay more out of our pockets because John McGuire and this Congress are letting reckless tariffs and rampant corruption drive up prices.”
Cville Right Now: Tom Perriello plans to ‘show up everywhere’ in his quest to reclaim the 5th District [Cville Right Now, 12/16/25]
Perriello promptly raised over $400,000 in the first 48 hours of his campaign, held a jam-packed launch event at a Charlottesville brewery and picked up high-profile endorsements…
C-VILLE Weekly: John McGuire vs. The 5th District [C-VILLE Weekly, 5/20/26]
In VA-5, more than one out of every five people receives some form of Medicaid. Around one in every 20 residents is a childless adult on Medicaid expansion. That latter figure works out to more than 39,000 people, enough to fill John Paul Jones Arena more than twice over. Another 11,402 people, comprising 1.5 percent of the district, are parents or caregivers covered by expansion.
Cville Right Now: After voting for Housing Act, John McGuire sold BlackRock stock [Cville Right Now, 7/13/26]
Dogwood: AUDIO: Virginia congressman defends 2024 child marriage vote [Dogwood, 5/19/26]
McGuire, who represents Virginia’s 5th congressional district, was the lone vote in the Virginia Senate against a bill to raise the legal marriage age in Virginia from 16 to 18.
Virginia Public Media: Frustration with McGuire drives both sides of 5th Congressional District primary [Virginia Public Media, 7/14/26]
Virginia Mercury: Health care costs and access will feature prominently in 2026 congressional midterms [Virginia Mercury, 3/9/26]
Virginia Public Media: Virginians are feeling the effects of spiking health insurance premiums [Virginia Public Media, 6/29/26]
Virginia Public Media: Report: Roughly 1 in 5 rural Virginia hospitals at risk of closure [Virginia Public Media, 6/7/26]
29News: Virginia 5th District among nationwide battleground districts [29News, 2/13/26]
The Daily Progress: “The DCCC, the Democratic Party’s fundraising arm for House races, has officially declared Virginia’s 5th District ‘in play’ for the first time in years.” [The Daily Progress, 2/11/26]
PATH TO VICTORY
A weak incumbent, strong challenger, and favorable national environment for Democrats will put Virginia’s 5th Congressional District in play come November.
Tom Perriello is one of the strongest candidates Democrats could have in this race. Tom is a proven over-performer, who won the Charlottesville-anchored congressional seat in 2008 by pulling off a narrow 727-vote victory in a seat Obama lost by 2.4 points. Tom then narrowly lost re-election by just under 9,000 votes in a cycle where many incumbent Democrats in friendlier territory lost in blowouts. He has a proven track record of taking on corruption and doing what’s right for Virginia – a message that is resonating in a moment when voters are hungry for authenticity, independence, and courage in our politics. Tom is raising the financial resources needed to communicate effectively and put this seat in play.
Contrast Tom’s strengths with John McGuire’s glaring weaknesses, and it’s clear why this race is on the board. McGuire is a historically weak fundraiser who will likely need a bail out from his special interest donors and party bosses. While Tom barnstorms the district, McGuire refuses to show up and answer to his own constituents.
And Tom will benefit from a favorable electoral environment, evidenced by Democrats overperforming in 2025 and 2026 special elections by an average of 12.5 points greater than the top of the ticket performance in 2024. With multiple college towns in the district, including Charlottesville (University of Virginia) and Lynchburg (Virginia University-Lynchburg, an HBCU), young voters can play a key role in boosting Tom to victory in November.
A significant Black voting population, making up over a fifth of the district, will also play a key role in swinging this race toward Tom. There is already evidence that Black voters are motivated to turnout in backlash to national Republicans gutting the Voting Rights Act and racially gerrymandering the south to try and silence Black voices. Tom is working hard to earn support from Black communities across the district, including in areas like Danville.
As political headwinds continue to grow stronger against D.C. Republicans and John McGuire, it’s clear that Virginia’s 5th Congressional District is exactly the kind of district that could produce an upset in November. Virginians are tired of the culture of corruption in Washington that John McGuire has come to represent. They have the opportunity to send a true fighter to Congress: Tom Perriello. |
