McGuire makes surprise roadside campaign stop in Charlottesville for Earle-Sears

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - If you were driving on Route 250 East in Charlottesville on Friday morning, you may have noticed a familiar face.

Fifth District Congressman John McGuire was waving at passing cars at the East High Street intersection in Pantops, holding a giant campaign sign in support of the Republican nominee for Governor, Winsome Earle-Sears.

“You can’t call people this early, but you can at least wave at them, say good morning, and help get Winsome Sears’ name out, and remind people there’s an election,” Rep. McGuire said. “You know, most people are living and working and raising their family, they’re too busy for politics, but politics are very impactful in your everyday lives, so we’re just reminding people to get out the vote.”

This is not the first time McGuire has employed these roadside campaign tactics; last October, McGuire took to the side of the streets on behalf of his own congressional campaign.

“I don’t want to be the politician that you elect and never see,” McGuire said.

29News asked McGuire if he was planning on hosting any in-person town halls during his time in the city. For months, 5th district constituents have been calling on the Congressman to host an in-person one and answer questions. In April, about 1,000 people showed up to Charlottesville High School for an Indivisible Charlottesville-hosted town hall, with McGuire himself the most notable absence.

But McGuire says the next town hall he holds will be online and in September, saying he still prefers the virtual option because he’ll be able to reach more people at once.

“When we do a tele-town hall, you get like, thousands of people,” McGuire said. “When you do an in-person one, you get fifty to a hundred.”

29News also asked McGuire about how he feels about former University of Virginia President Jim Ryan’s resignation under pressure from the Department of Justice.

“I haven’t gotten much involved with it, but from what I do know about it, is that President Trump has said that we cannot have DEI,” McGuire said. “[Ryan] was going against the wishes of the President of the United States, so he made the decision to step down.”

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