Brian McGinnis

Brian McGinnis
Bornc. 1982
Quincy, Illinois, US
Alma materJohn Wood Community College
Occupations
  • Firefighter
  • Politician
  • Marine
Political partyGreen
Spouse(s)Megan McDonald
Hamadee Ali
Children4
Military career
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Marine Corps
Service years2000–2004
RankSergeant
Conflicts
WebsiteBrianMcGinnis.org

Brian Clifford McGinnis (born c. 1982) is an American firefighter, political candidate, and United States Marine Corps veteran. He is the Green Party candidate for the 2026 United States Senate election in North Carolina. On March 4, 2026, his arm was broken while being forcibly removed by United States Capitol Police and Senator Tim Sheehy from a Senate Armed Service Subcommittee hearing where he was protesting against the 2026 Iran war.

Early life and education

McGinnis was born around 1982.[1] He grew up in Quincy, Illinois, the son of Dr. Alex McGinnis and Mary Lou McGinnis.[2] He has two brothers and a sister.[3] His father was a Vietnam Veteran. He was class president at Quincy Senior High School and went to boot camp two days after graduating in 2000.[4] After serving in the military, he earned an Associate degree at John Wood Community College in 2006.[5]

Career

McGinnis worked as a youth counselor and membership coordinator at the YMCA in Quincy, Illinois.[2] He is a senior firefighter in the City of Raleigh fire department.[6]

Military

McGinnis served as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004.[2] In 2002, he was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina.[3] He was on the All-Marine boxing team and deployed to Iraq as a Light Armored Vehicle Crewman in 2003.[1] He was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom from February 2003 to June 2003.[2] He was honorably discharged in 2004.[5]

Politics

In 2024, he joined the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, attempting to bring aid to Palestine by boat during the Gaza war.[7] He is the Green Party candidate for the 2026 United States Senate election in North Carolina.[8][1]

2026 anti-Iran war protest

On March 4, 2026, McGinnis, dressed in his Marine Corps uniform, interrupted a Senate Armed Service Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support[9] hearing on the war in Iran in the Hart Senate Office Building,[10] shouting "America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel! [...] no one wants to fight for Israel!"[11][12] McGinnis was forcibly removed by United States Capitol Police assisted by US senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and McGinnis's arm was broken during the altercation when it got stuck in a door.[13][14][15] An audible snap can be heard in a video of the incident.[16]

McGinnis was arrested and charged with three counts of resisting arrest and unlawful demonstration, three counts of assaulting a police officer and one count of "crowding, obstructing and incommoding" for blocking the door.[6][17]

Reaction and aftermath

The video of McGinnis's interruption and subsequent removal went viral on social media.[18][1]

In a social media statement, Sheehy described McGinnis as an "unhinged protestor".[12] Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) thanked Sheehy on social media, calling McGinnis an "unhinged protestor who injured three officers while violently resisting arrest."[19] A GoFundMe page started for McGinnis subsequently raised over $60,000.[20]

Raleigh Fire Chief Herbert Griffin announced that McGinnis was placed on paid administrative leave from the Raleigh Fire Department as a result of the incident.[21]

On March 6, 2026 statement, McGinnis wrote that the incident made him 'only more determined' to continue his run for Senate.[22][23]

Personal life

McGinnis married Megan McDonald at Los Angeles Athletic Club in January 2005.[2] As of 2026, McGinnis is married to Hamadee Ali, a Palestinian woman, with whom he has four children. They live in Wendell, North Carolina.[1][7] In 2022, he competed in the Veteran's World Championship of United World Wrestling.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Rohrlich, Justin (2026-03-05). "Marine vet whose arm was broken when senator tossed him from Iran war briefing 'got in a little too deep,' says mom". The Independent. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  2. ^ a b c d e "McGinnis - MacDonald". Herald-Whig. 2005-03-11. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary information for Dr. Alex McGinnis". www.hansenspear.com. Hansen Spear Funeral Home. Archived from the original on 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  4. ^ "Home". brianmcginnis4ussenatenc.org. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  5. ^ a b Louis, Jayla (2026-03-05). "Quincy native arrested at U.S. Capitol after scuffle in Senate hearing room". WGEM-TV. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  6. ^ a b "Raleigh firefighter, Marine veteran charged after protesting war in Iran at Senate hearing". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. Associated Press/WTVD. 2026-03-05. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  7. ^ a b Roy, Amalia (2024-04-25). "Raleigh firefighter joining mission to bring aid into Gaza through Mediterranean Sea". CBS17.com. WNCN. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  8. ^ "Brian McGinnis (North Carolina)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  9. ^ "To receive testimony on the current readiness of the Joint Force". www.armed-services.senate.gov. SH-216 Hart Senate Office Building: United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. 2026-03-04. 41:31. Retrieved 2026-03-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  10. ^ Levenson, Michael (2026-03-05). "Senator Tim Sheehy Helps Officers Forcibly Remove Protesting Veteran From Hearing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  11. ^ Sommerlad, Joe (2026-03-05). "Marine veteran protesting Iran war suffers broken arm in struggle with GOP senator". The Independent. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  12. ^ a b IV, Antonio Pequeño. "'No One Wants To Fight For Israel:' Marine Veteran Removed From Hearing". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2026-03-05. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  13. ^ Yarbor, Natalie (2026-03-04). Sen. Tim Sheehy forcibly removes protester Brian McGinnis from Senate hearing. CNN Politics. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  14. ^ Drew, Micah (2026-03-04). "Montana Sen. Sheehy gets in altercation with anti-war protester, veteran, on Capitol Hill • Daily Montanan". Daily Montanan. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  15. ^ Davis, Sarah (2026-03-04). "GOP Sen. Tim Sheehy joins police to physically remove protester from hearing". thehill.com.
  16. ^ Fergison, Malcolm (2026-03-05). "Veteran Whose Arm Was Broken While Protesting Iran War Faces Charges". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  17. ^ Walsh, Joe (2026-03-05). "GOP senator joins police in ejecting anti-war protester from Capitol Hill hearing". CBS News. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  18. ^ Battaglia, Danielle (2026-03-05). "An NC candidate for U.S. Senate faces charges that he injured Capitol police". The News & Observer.
  19. ^ Eberly, Keaton; Overton, Rodney (March 9, 2026). "'Brian is finally home': Raleigh man injured during Senate hearing protest released from hospital". WNCN. Goldsboro, North Carolina. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  20. ^ "Raleigh firefighter, a Marine veteran, forcibly removed from US Capitol for anti-war protest". WRAL.com. CNN Newsource. 2026-03-05. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  21. ^ Danielle, Danielle (March 5, 2026). "N.C. firefighter, Marine on administrative leave after protest during Senate hearing". Fire Rescue 1. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  22. ^ Davis, Sarah (2026-03-06). "Ex-Marine forcibly removed from hearing vows to continue Senate campaign". thehill.com.
  23. ^ Jackson, Katharine (2026-03-05). "Ex-Marine injured while protesting Iran war vows to continue campaign for US Senate". Reuters.
  24. ^ "MCGINNIS Brian Clifford | United World Wrestling". uww.org. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.