U.S. House · Virginia's 5th District

Virginia's 5th Congressional District (Southside and Central Virginia, including Lynchburg, Danville, and Charlottesville-area exurbs)

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 20 claims re-checked against their sources · 1 corrected · 0 removed

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

  • The context paragraph's primary vote percentages (McGuire 84.4%/15.6%, Perriello 79.8%) are not on the cited Ballotpedia VA-2026-overview page (s1); they appear on McGuire's and Perriello's own Ballotpedia pages (s2, s3), which were already cited elsewhere in the file. Added s2 and s3 to that Cited item's sources rather than removing verified, correct figures.

On the ballot · 3 candidates

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUEJohn McGuire
R
Tom Perriello
D
Cooke Harvey
IND
Expand immigration enforcement and deportationsSupports[6][7][8][9]votes——
Raise taxes on high earners or corporationsOpposes[7][8][9]votes——
Expand public health coverageOpposes[7][8][9][10]votesSupports[12]votes—
Faster transition away from fossil fuelsOpposes[7][8][9]votes——
Broad tariffs on imported goodsSupports[11]votes——

Key votes in Congress — side by side

The candidates, in full

John McGuire

RINCUMBENTU.S. Representative, Virginia's 5th District (since 2025)

John McGuire is the incumbent Republican U.S. Representative for Virginia's 5th District, elected in 2024 after defeating then-incumbent Bob Good in the Republican primary. He is a former Navy SEAL who previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates and briefly in the Virginia Senate.[2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Key votes in Congress

  • NoWar Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · H. Con. Res. 86 · Passed 215–208 · 2026-06-03 roll call ↗The resolution directs the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran that Congress has not authorized, invoking the War Powers Resolution. It passed the House with support from Democrats and a number of Republicans.
  • NoResolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · H.J. Res. 72 · Passed 219–211 · 2026-02-11 roll call ↗The resolution terminates the national emergency the President declared in February 2025 to justify a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada, ending that tariff if it becomes law. It passed with a bipartisan majority, including several Republicans who broke with the administration on trade policy.
  • YesConsolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 — full-year government funding · H.R. 7148 · Passed 217–214 · 2026-02-03 roll call ↗The bill provides full-year discretionary appropriations for federal agencies for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, replacing the stopgap funding enacted after the fall 2025 shutdown. It sets spending levels across defense and non-defense programs through September 2026.
  • NoBreaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · H.R. 1834 · Passed 230–196 · 2026-01-08 roll call ↗The bill extends for additional years the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that were expanded in 2021 and had lapsed at the end of 2025, lowering health-insurance premiums for people who buy coverage on ACA marketplaces. It passed with support from nearly all Democrats and a small group of Republicans.
  • NoWar Powers Resolution on Venezuela · H. Con. Res. 64 · Failed 211–213 · 2025-12-17 roll call ↗The resolution would have directed the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or against Venezuela that Congress had not authorized. It failed after U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels off Venezuela had raised questions in Congress about the administration's legal authority for military action in the region.
  • YesNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 — final passage · S. 1071 · Passed 312–112 · 2025-12-10 roll call ↗The fiscal year 2026 NDAA authorizes roughly $900 billion in defense spending, including a pay raise for service members and funding for shipbuilding, munitions, and missile-defense programs. It also sets policy on military personnel, procurement, and other Defense Department programs for the year.
  • YesEpstein Files Transparency Act · H.R. 4405 · Passed 427–1 · 2025-11-18 roll call ↗The bill directs the Department of Justice to publicly release its investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days, while allowing redactions to protect victim identities, ongoing investigations, and law enforcement techniques. It passed with near-unanimous support.
  • YesContinuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 — shutdown-ending vote · H.R. 5371 · Passed 222–209 · 2025-11-12 roll call ↗The bill reopened the federal government after a 43-day shutdown by funding most agencies through January 30, 2026, and providing full-year funding for a smaller group of agencies through September 2026. It also reversed shutdown-related federal layoffs and funded SNAP benefits retroactively.
  • YesCLARITY Act — digital asset market structure · H.R. 3633 · Passed 294–134 · 2025-07-17 roll call ↗The CLARITY Act creates a regulatory framework dividing oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. It sets registration and disclosure requirements for cryptocurrency exchanges and other digital-asset intermediaries.
  • YesGENIUS Act — stablecoin regulation · S. 1582 · Passed 308–122 · 2025-07-17 roll call ↗The GENIUS Act creates a federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, requiring issuers to hold reserves backing their tokens on a one-to-one basis and to comply with new disclosure and licensing rules. It was the first major piece of cryptocurrency legislation enacted into federal law.
  • YesOne Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · H.R. 1 · Passed 218–214 · 2025-07-03 roll call ↗H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, extends and expands the 2017 tax cuts, adds new deductions for tips, overtime pay, and seniors, and raises the cap on state and local tax deductions. It increases border security and defense spending while cutting projected Medicaid and SNAP spending and adding new work requirements; President Trump signed it into law on July 4, 2025.
  • YesRescissions Act of 2025 · H.R. 4 · Passed 214–212 · 2025-06-12 roll call ↗The Rescissions Act canceled about $9 billion in previously approved federal spending, mostly for foreign aid programs and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It was the first rescissions package Congress had approved in decades.
  • YesOne Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · H.R. 1 · Passed 215–214 · 2025-05-22 roll call ↗H.R. 1 extends and modifies the 2017 individual and business tax cuts, creates new deductions for tips and overtime pay, and increases spending on border security and defense. It also reduces projected spending on Medicaid and food-assistance programs and adds new work requirements for some recipients.
  • YesSAVE Act — proof-of-citizenship voter registration · H.R. 22 · Passed 220–208 · 2025-04-10 roll call ↗The SAVE Act would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person when registering to vote in federal elections. It also directs states to establish procedures to remove noncitizens identified on voter rolls.
  • YesFull-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 · H.R. 1968 · Passed 217–213 · 2025-03-11 roll call ↗The bill funded the federal government through the remainder of fiscal year 2025, largely at prior-year spending levels, averting a shutdown ahead of a March 14 deadline. It also extended several expiring health and other program authorizations.
  • YesLaken Riley Act — final passage · S. 5 · Passed 263–156 · 2025-01-22 roll call ↗The Laken Riley Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested, charged, or convicted for theft, burglary, or certain violent crimes. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government over certain immigration enforcement decisions.

On the record — official actions

  • actionServes on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Subcommittees on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation; Health Care and Financial Services; and Military and Foreign Affairs) and the House Committee on Armed Services in the 119th Congress (2025-2026).[2]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand immigration enforcement and deportationsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on Laken Riley Act (S. 5, 2025-01-22). Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which funded expanded immigration enforcement, detention and border operations.[6][7][8][9]

  • OpposesExpand public health coverageFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which reduced federal Medicaid spending and added Medicaid work requirements. Voted no on Breaking the Gridlock Act (H.R. 1834, 2026-01-08).[7][8][9][10]

  • OpposesFaster transition away from fossil fuelsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which phased out Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits.[7][8][9]

  • OpposesRaise taxes on high earners or corporationsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which made the 2017 individual tax rates, including the 37% top rate, permanent.[7][8][9]

  • SupportsBroad tariffs on imported goodsFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11).[11]

Background

  • Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1968; graduated from Henrico High School; served as a U.S. Navy SEAL from 1988 to 1998.[2]
  • Founded SEAL Team Physical Training Inc. after his military service.[2]
  • Served in the Virginia House of Delegates (District 56, 2018-2024) and briefly in the Virginia State Senate (District 10, 2024) before his election to Congress in 2024.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $1.8M · spent $1.3M · $524K cash on hand (through 2026-07-15) FEC filing ↗

Tom Perriello

D

Won the August 4, 2026 Democratic primary with 79.8% of the vote

Tom Perriello previously represented Virginia's 5th District in Congress from 2009 to 2011. He is a Yale-trained attorney whose career since leaving Congress has included international human-rights and diplomatic work and leadership at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.[3]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Key votes in Congress

  • YesAffordable Care Act — final House passage · H.R. 3590 · Passed 219–212 · 2010-03-21 roll call ↗Established health-insurance marketplaces with premium subsidies, expanded Medicaid eligibility, and barred insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.

On the record — official actions

  • voteAs a member of Congress (2009-2011), voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Affordable Care Act, according to his own campaign account of his record.[3][4][5]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand public health coverageFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590, 2010-03-21).[12]

Background

  • Earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 2001; worked as an advisor to the international prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and on international justice efforts in Kosovo, Darfur, and Afghanistan.[3]
  • Represented Virginia's 5th District in the U.S. House from 2009 to 2011, serving on the House Committees on Veterans' Affairs and on Transportation and Infrastructure; lost re-election in 2010.[3]
  • Served as CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, directed the State Department's 2014 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, and was appointed by President Obama in 2015 as special envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa.[3]

Cooke Harvey

IND

Cooke Harvey is an independent candidate running in Virginia's 5th Congressional District general election.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Research notes & limits

Neither major-party candidate has completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey, and no current (2026) campaign-website statements of priorities were located within the research budget; McGuire's and Perriello's official House and Congress-service records substitute for stated priorities. Independent candidate Cooke Harvey has no biography or public statements available on Ballotpedia, so the entry is minimal.

Sources · 12

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.John McGuire · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  3. 3.Tom Perriello · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  4. 4.Roll Call 46 — On Passage: H.R. 1, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · 2009-01-28 Official record
  5. 5.Roll Call 165 — On Motion to Concur in Senate Amendments: H.R. 3590, Affordable Care Act · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · 2010-03-21 Official record
  6. 6.Roll call: Laken Riley Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-01-22 Official record
  7. 7.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-05-22 Official record
  8. 8.H.R. 1 (119th Congress) — One Big Beautiful Bill Act: text and summary · Congress.gov Official record
  9. 9.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-07-03 Official record
  10. 10.Roll call: Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-01-08 Official record
  11. 11.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record
  12. 12.Roll call: Affordable Care Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2010-03-21 Official record