Michael McGuire, a Marine Corps veteran and former New York Police Department officer who now works as a family law and divorce attorney, is joining the increasingly busy Republican primary to take on Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delran) in the 3rd congressional district.
A resident of Freehold Township, McGuire said that he’s run for school board in the past, but he was spurred into embarking on a more high-profile campaign during last year’s government shutdown. McGuire is a member of the Navy Reserve, and he and his fellow reservists missed paychecks thanks to the shutdown, which he blamed on Democrats’ decision to block a Republican funding bill.
“I’m sick of Congress not doing their job,” McGuire said. “Their job is to legislate, and I feel all they do is complain about stuff that they can, frankly, control if they do legislation.”
If elected to the House, McGuire said he’d focus on affordability and veterans’ issues, as well as advocate for term limits on members of Congress. He faulted Conaway, who was first elected to Congress just over a year ago but who was a longtime state legislator before that, for failing to solve the state’s problems: “He’s been in politics way too long,” McGuire said. “And I think he’s just toeing party lines at this point.”
McGuire has set up a campaign website and begun raising money – he said he’s raised around $22,000 at this point – but his official campaign launch is coming later this month.
He isn’t the only Republican who’s recently decided to take on Conaway. Justin Barbera and Jason Cullen, both of whom are perhaps best known for their longshot campaigns for governor, are also in the race.
The 3rd district will not be easy for any Republican to flip, however; while the Burlington County-based district was once among the country’s most competitive, redistricting ahead of the 2022 elections made it much bluer, and Conaway won his first term in 2024 by a 53%-45% margin.
