It’s still far from clear what the district boundaries will be, but two more congressional candidates pitched their case to Arlington Democrats last week.
Del. Dan Helmer (D-10), of Fairfax County, became the first candidate seeking the redrawn 7th Congressional District seat to launch a bid in front of county Democrats.
Also announcing his candidacy at the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting was Michael Duffin, who will be among the challengers to U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D) in the 8th District.
Helmer’s pitch
“If you’re looking for an effective fighter … that’s who I am,” Helmer said at the monthly meeting.
Helmer criticized actions taken by both the first and second Trump administrations.
“This is not the America we believe in,” the legislator said.
If a referendum passes on April 21 and the Virginia Supreme Court allows redistricting to go forward, the new 7th District would meander from Arlington west to the West Virginia line and south to Powhatan County beyond Richmond.
As part of the redrawn map, the northern 60% of Arlington would shift from the 8th District into the 7th. Because of its more rural areas to the west and south, the proposed 7th District would not be a slam dunk for Democrats in November.
According to an analysis by the Virginia Public Access Project, voters within the boundaries of the proposed new district gave 51% of their votes to Democratic congressional candidates in the 2024 election, and 46% to Republicans.
Abigail Spanberger did better, winning 58% of the vote among those living in the proposed new district in her 2025 gubernatorial bid, according to the analysis.
Democrats in the General Assembly mapped out the boundaries of the district in hopes of winning it, even if by a small margin. It is part of their strategy to come away with victories in 10 of the state’s 11 congressional districts in November.
To do that, “we need to win this seat,” Helmer said.
Helmer in February emerged as the second Democrat to enter the race. He followed J.P. Cooney, an Arlington native and a former federal prosecutor. Others may follow.
A West Point graduate and lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, Helmer was elected to the legislature in 2019. He has sought a congressional seat twice before, once before winning a delegate seat and once after.
Helmer lost the 2018 Democratic primary in the 10th District to Jennifer Wexton and lost the 2024 primary in the 10th to Suhas Subramanyam.
Wexton and Subramanyam went on to victory in the subsequent general elections.
Having a candidate coming before the committee to seek the 7th District seat confused a number of party members at the meeting, suggesting that details of the redistricting plan have not fully trickled down even to those who are politically engaged.
One veteran party activist privately expressed dismay at the prospect of losing Beyer, who was first elected in 2014, as his member of Congress. Beyer is well-liked among many party activists in North Arlington, especially those who have been engaged in politics for a lengthy period.
If the redistricting referendum fails or if the Virginia Supreme Court invalidates the changes, districts would remain in their present configurations, with the 8th District encompassing all of Arlington.
Duffin’s pitch
Meanwhile, Duffin, an Alexandria resident whose U.S. Department of State position was eliminated by the Trump administration last year, is taking on Beyer. He did not mention the congressman by name, but argued that the district required more than a “caretaker representative.”
“We need a fighter,” he said. “We cannot stick with the status quo. Members of Congress need to act with urgency.”
Duffin, who launched his bid last fall, laid out an agenda seemingly not too far from Beyer on the political spectrum. He said Democrats needed to ensure they were the good-governance party.
“We must hold Donald Trump accountable, but we must also clean up our own house,” he said.
Duffin becomes the fifth Democrat to appear before the Alexandria committee. Mohamed “Mo” Seifeldein spoke in January, with Beyer, Adam Dunigan and Daniel Gray making announcements in February.
The district, as currently configured, includes all of Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church and a portion of Fairfax County. The proposed new 8th keeps Alexandria and parts of Fairfax, gives up about 60% of Arlington and all of Falls Church, and wanders south toward the Williamsburg area.
More announcements expected in April: In addition to candidates for the 7th and 8th Districts who already have spoken to the county committee, others are expected in April, party chair Paul Ruiz said.
Ruiz said it would be up to the candidates or their staff to make contact with the party leadership to secure a speaking slot.
“I am not chasing them down,” he said.
Regardless of whether the new congressional districts materialize, party primaries have been delayed from mid-June until Aug. 4.
That change will also impact the Democratic primary for Arlington County Board, where incumbent Matt de Ferranti is being challenged by James DeVita.
