Virginia
Latest Coverage
See all articles
John McGuire offers new defense of ‘no’ vote on 2024 child marriage bill
Fifth District MAGA Congressman John McGuire took to his socials on Wednesday to try to explain why he was the only member of the State Senate to vote against a 2024 bill to raise the minimum marriage age in Virginia from 16 to 18.
“My nephew just completed boot camp at age 17. Over 200,000 members of our military under age 18 fought in World War II. A 17-year-old can enlist, deploy, and die for this country. Under the bill Perriello is attacking me on, that young man couldn’t marry his 17-year-old fiancée so she could receive full survivor benefits if he didn’t come home. I wasn’t willing to strip that option from those families. I asked for the exception, and the Democrats refused,” McGuire explained.
Notably, this rationalization is 180 degrees from the one he told a constituent at a meet and greet in Prince Edward County in February.
Per reporting from Dogwood, McGuire had this to say, when he thought no one outside of MAGA would be listening:
“We need more families. If a young man and a young girl get pregnant, they need to have a marriage.”
Puts in perspective what McGuire had to say about his Democratic challenger, Tom Perriello, bringing this issue up for people to be able to weigh.
“His latest attack: that I support adult men marrying minors. That’s not just false, it’s disgusting. It’s sick, and it is the desperate tactic of a man who will say anything for a vote,” McGuire wrote.
It does indeed seem that somebody here will “say anything for a vote.”
Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected]. Support AFP by signing up for our newsletter and/or powering our work with a one-time or monthly contribution.
My name popped up today in reporting on a local fraud trial, and let me be clear here – I am not the Chris Graham who is the defense attorney in that one.
Keswick Hall and the UVA Women’s Golf program will host the inaugural Keswick Cup on Monday, Oct. 26, at Keswick’s Pete Dye-designed Full Cry golf course.
We have reached 57 percent of what we need to fund critical operations for 2026. If you have been waiting for the right time to support AFP, this is it.