Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) took fire from his own party’s challengers at a candidate forum this week — an event combustible enough that one rival is now boycotting the next Arlington Democratic gathering over heckling.
“He hasn’t pushed back,” said Mo Seifeldein, a former Alexandria City Council member and one of four seeking to unseat Beyer in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary.
Seifeldein and a second challenger, Adam Dunigan, aggressively went after Beyer in the July 1 candidate forum in front of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
Dunigan said Beyer and Democratic congressional leaders had maintained “an obstinate refusal” to change behavior and make way for the next generation. He urged local Democrats to “step forward into a new era.”
“We have a responsibility to evolve this party where we can,” Dunigan said.
That could be a hard sell, at least in 2026.
Beyer, first elected to Congress in 2014, maintains a strong base of local support, has nearly inexhaustible campaign resources and political connections, and has seen his Democratic opposition fractured into competing factions.
In remarks, Beyer said his goal in office was “articulating a clear vision and then doing the things to make it a reality.”
“Six months from today … we will have control of the [federal] budget,” he said, anticipating Democratic victories in midterm elections.
Seifeldein tangled several times with Beyer during the 75-minute event, criticizing the incumbent for taking money from political action committees. Beyer countered that the funding was a necessary evil in modern-day politics.
“We’ve got to fight fire with fire. If we don’t take the PAC money, [Republicans] win a lot more races,” Beyer said.
Beyer noted that contributions from political committees to his campaign are donated to candidates in more competitive races.
Seifeldein and Beyer also got into an extended back-and-forth over the incumbent’s support, or lack of it, for the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
Seifeldein also criticized Beyer for not cosponsoring one of two current articles of impeachment against Trump pending in the House of Representatives.
When Beyer responded that the measures were “poorly written” and “not thought through,” Seifeldein shot back.
“If they were poorly written, why didn’t you write one?” he said, accusing Beyer of “not doing what the people are asking you for.”
An impeachment effort at this stage “does nothing,” Beyer responded.
As Beyer, Seifeldein and Dunigan went at it on one side of the dais, the two other candidates at the table — Michael Duffin and Lorena Bruner — tried to make their case without getting entangled in the sniping.
Duffin, who like Dunigan and Seifeldein is a former federal employee, said he had no illusions about the likely outcome of the primary.
It is “99% likely he’s going to win,” Duffin said of Beyer, while making the case that more voices should be heard in politics.
“We need to have an open, fair playing field,” Duffin said, urging party leaders to “stop putting your fingers on the scales” to benefit establishment candidates.
“Democratic Party machine politics has turned off a lot of people,” he said.
At one point, Duffin went after Dunigan for one of Dunigan’s remarks.
“Just cut it out,” Duffin said, drawing jeers apparently coming from Dunigan supporters.
And even though Dunigan was taking political shots at Beyer throughout the night, he criticized the intensity of attacks being leveled on the incumbent by Seifeldein.
“This is why we are out of power — we self-cannibalize,” Dunigan said. “It’s counterproductive.”
Bruner is a resident of Stafford County. She entered the 8th District race when it was expected all of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts would be significantly redrawn and the new 8th would include her home.
When the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the redistricting plan, Bruner opted to stay in the race despite not living in the 8th District. One reason, she said, was that the campaign needed a woman’s voice in it.
Bruner, who twice ran for local office in Stafford, said removing or outlasting Donald Trump needs to be her party’s key priority.
“Every time we try to do something, he knocks it down,” she said.
Like Duffin, Bruner worked to make the case that she would serve as a voice for the community if elected.
“I feel the pinch that you feel every day,” she told the crowd of about 200 at Lubber Run Community Center. “You need to have someone who is feeling the pain like you do.”
Proceedings were interrupted a number of times by brief audience outbursts. But on the issues, there seemed to be general alignment by candidates on most issues.
“I really want the things Michael, Lorena, Adam and Mo want,” said Beyer, who served eight years as Virginia’s lieutenant governor and made an unsuccessful run for governor before winning election to Congress.
On health care, Dunigan said, “I think everybody up here has the same plan — it has to end in a single-payer system.”
Beyer touted the benefits of seniority, saying he plans to vie for the chairmanship of the oversight subcommittee of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee if re-elected.
That, coupled with a potential Democratic majority, would give Beyer a prime position if the party launches full-scale investigations into the Trump Administration in 2027.
On the day of the debate, Beyer’s campaign announced a slew of endorsements from Northern Virginia members of the General Assembly.
They included support from the entire Arlington delegation: Sens. Barbara Favola and Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and Dels. Patrick Hope, Adele McClure and Alfonso Lopez.
Those endorsements could cut both ways — Beyer can say they ratify his performance, while challengers can contend they show he is an establishment figure at a time the Democratic Party seems moving toward a grass-roots, anti-establishment stance.
Following the July 1 forum, Duffin announced he would not be attending a planned July 11 Arlington Democratic picnic and straw poll, citing the audience’s behavior.
“Throughout the evening, volunteers supporting Adam Dunigan repeatedly heckled/jeered me, and the organizers took no meaningful action to address the behavior,” Duffin said in an email to ARLnow that also was posted on his campaign website.
He added:
“Candidates should be able to participate in Democratic Party events without being subjected to repeated disruptions by staff of an opposing candidate, and I was disappointed that the organizers did not enforce a respectful environment for everyone involved.”
Toward the end of the forum, Dunigan acknowledged things had gotten “spicy,” but suggested it was typical of Democratic nominating contests.
He urged voters to look past the fireworks and cast their ballot for a candidate that could provide “energy, vigor and fresh eyes.”
Seifeldein said the forum represented “healthy debate as a family,” and suggested he would back Beyer if the incumbent wins the primary.
“I would have Don Beyer over any Republican in Virginia — any day,” Seifeldein said.
Duffin’s estimate that Beyer has a 99% chance of winning the primary could be proved correct. With four challengers splitting the vote against him, and no ranked-choice voting in this election, Duffin, Seifeldein, Dunigan or Bruner could find it hard to map out a route to victory.
The 8th District includes all of Arlington and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, as well as portions of eastern Fairfax County. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, the registered-voter breakdown of the district is:
- Fairfax County (portion): 240,027 voters, 43.88% of total
- Arlington (all): 180,792 voters, 33.05%
- Alexandria (all): 114,374 voters, 20.91%
- Falls Church City (all): 11,860 voters, 2.17%
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Tony Sabio on Nov. 3.
The district is considered a Democratic stronghold. In the 2024 general election, Beyer won nearly 72% of the vote in a four-candidate field.
Early voting for Aug. 4 races has begun. Arlington voters can cast ballots in either the Democratic primary, featuring 8th District and County Board races, or the Republican primary, which features a race for the GOP’s U.S. Senate nomination.
NAACP branches to host candidate forum
NAACP branches in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County will host an 8th District congressional candidate forum on Thursday, July 9 at 7 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church Worship Center, 1401 Jamieson Ave. in Alexandria.
The forum is “part of our commitment to ensure voters have access to information about those who are seeking office,” Arlington NAACP chair Rev. DeLishia Davis said.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) and challengers Lorena Bruner, Michael Duffin, Adam Dunigan and Mo Seifeldein have been invited to participate.
