CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Rep. John McGuire made a campaign stop in Albemarle County Monday, hosting a meet and greet with supporters as he ramps up his bid for re-election in the 5th District.

During remarks to the two dozen or so people who attended the event at First Free Coffee Bar, McGuire called the Democratic redistricting effort “the elephant in the room,” and said he’s confident the Virginia Supreme Court will side with the lower court in Tazewell and rule the proposed redistricting amendment unlawful.

Afterward, McGuire declined to entertain questions about how he would proceed if the voting districts are redrawn.

“I’m just focusing on my current district and serving my people,” McGuire told Cville Right Now. “Because they hired me for two years. I’m not done with my job.”

Monday, there were as many protesters outside the event as there were supporters in attendance, underscoring the challenge for Republicans campaigning in the Albemarle and Charlottesville area.

And while the demonstrators outside held up signs decrying McGuire’s support of cuts to Medicaid, FEMA and SNAP, inside McGuire touted his record as a freshman legislator, and continued his full-throated support of President Trump.

McGuire said he believes he is making inroads in predominately Democratic areas of the 5th District like Albemarle and Charlottesville.

“I think I am,” McGuire said. “The thing is, they didn’t know me. Every day I’m visiting businesses in Albemarle and Charlottesville. You know what they say every day? ‘I’ve never met a member of Congress.’ I hear that all day long. So, maybe it will make a difference.”

McGuire said concerns that the SAVE Act, requiring voters to have either a passport or birth certificate to cast a ballot, won’t create obstacles for women, despite growing fears about that.

“That’s addressed in the bill,” McGuire said. “It’s pretty easy and I can’t give you the details as a lawyer what it says exactly. But every woman that’s read it says, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty easy.”

McGuire said the full Epstein files should have been released sooner and that they show Trump to be a “hero.”

“I wish they would have released it all back in January last year,” McGuire said. “Now, I have access to all of it. And you pretty much do. There’s some redacted stuff. But everyone who’s read it, all the fully redacted stuff, they say every page they read exonerates Trump even more. See, this guy had a lot of power and if you went up against Epstein, he could have you murdered. But he couldn’t do that to Trump and Trump was the only one freaking calling him out and saying, ‘Arrest him.’ In fact, if you read the files, it makes him look like a hero because he’s on the only one beating the drum saying arrest this guy, stop this guy.”

McGuire said he isn’t worried about Trump’s sagging approval ratings and how they could impact his race. Monday, he appeared and spoke before a banner that showed a photograph of him and Trump together on the left side, and the words “Trump. Make America Great Again,” on the right.

He praised Trump for being tough on crime, strong on the economy and influential globally.

“I tell my kids, I can’t control other people, but I control myself. They have a right to like whoever they like. Just like I have a right to like whoever I like,” McGuire said. “But I think the policies, eight peace treaties, ending eight conflicts in eight or nine months? That’s an unbelievable record. Record murder rates. In 125 years, the lowest murder rates in our country. What if that was your little girl that was murdered? Or your little boy? You should be pretty happy that this guy is getting progress.”

McGuire said between Trump’s accomplishments and the work McGuire has done in Congress, he has plenty to campaign on in the next nine months.

“Go back and look at the record. We only won the primary by 355 votes, but all the hard work we’ve done, we outperformed almost every, well I think we outperformed every politician in history in most of the counties,” McGuire said. “Even the top of the ticket I love, we outperformed them in almost every county. Go look it up. Not because of me, by the grace of God and a lot of volunteers. So that was before they knew me. Now we’re working really hard. I think we’re getting better.”