(The Center Square) – Virginia has three new congressmen following the swearing-in ceremonies for the 119th Congress held at the Capitol in Washington on Friday.
Two Democrats and one Republican took office, making the commonwealth’s party delegation unchanged.
Democratic Reps. Eugene Vindman (7th Congressional District) and Suhas Subramanyam (10th) joined Republican Rep. John McGuire (5th) being sworn into office, along with eight other members of the Virginia delegation in the U.S. House Representatives.
The members’ first vote was for the House speakership, and Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., was reelected.
Vindman and Subramanyam cast their inaugural vote for Rep. Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., while McGuire voted for Johnson.
McGuire’s predecessor, former Rep. Bob Good, posted on social media earlier in the day that he would not have voted for Johnson. Good lost to McGuire in a contentious primary race that took over a month to be called. McGuire, endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, is forecast to be a strong ally to the incoming president.
McGuire posted a picture with his wife and Trump on New Year’s Eve while attending a party at Mar-A-Lago.
In contrast, Vindman will likely be a thorn. The congressman rose to notoriety as a whistleblower during Trump’s first administration. While serving as a legal adviser to the National Security Council in 2019, Vindman said the president “attempt[ed] to extort Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden,” ultimately leading to Trump’s first impeachment.
Vindman replaced former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who opted not to run for reelection after announcing her candidacy for governor. Subramnayam replaced former Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton, who did not run for reelection due to health reasons.
