Don Beyer announced this week that he will run for re-election to the Eighth District congressional seat in the 2026 cycle.
Two things at play here: Beyer will be 76 next summer, so, he’s an old; but he’s not necessarily one of the olds who acts and votes like an old.
“Northern Virginia is under attack, and we need a proven fighter to stand up to Donald Trump, Elon Musk and their corrupt Trump administration cronies to defend our community. I am seeking reelection to Congress because I am that fighter, and I know how to do the important work that begins with retaking power in Virginia and in Congress,” Beyer said in a statement announcing his intent to run for another term.
Update
Beyer was very much a centrist Democrat when he was the two-term lieutenant governor from 1990-1998.
He was the guy who somehow came up short in his one run for governor because Jim Gilmore bought a bunch of campaign signs that said “No Car Tax” ahead of the 1997 gubernatorial election.
Laying low during the George W. Bush years, Beyer got back into the public domain with vigorous campaigning for Barack Obama in the 2008 cycle, which netted him an ambassadorship, to Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Returning Stateside, Beyer succeeded Jim Moran in the Eighth District seat, winning his first election in 2014, so, 2026 would be his seventh campaign for Congress.
The Eighth District is full of federal government employees, and he’s been a staunch advocate for them as the Trumpers launch attack after attack at the bureaucracy.
“I was one of Trump’s most vocal critics during his first term, when I led numerous effective oversight actions against his administration, which helped build successful cases to win the 2018 midterms. Since his return, I was one of the first to lead Democratic pushback to his abuses of power: at USAID, in the halls of Congress, and in our region,” Beyer said.
“From my positions on the Ways and Means Committee and as top House Democrat on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, I’ve helped focus counterattacks on Trump’s tariffs, tax cuts for the rich, and broader economic record. I will not shy away from challenging this lawless president, or for standing up for federal workers and contractors, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and all those who have unjustly come under threat.”
Beyer’s record stands in contrast to that of the state’s two sitting U.S. senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, who vote too often with Trump, uncomfortably, for Democratic voters and independent voters who lean Democrat.
Beyer pledged that his desire for another term is about “creating a more equitable economy, ensuring everyone is treated fairly, supporting workers and guaranteeing them universal paid leave, fighting gun violence, and winning the fight against climate change.”
“This work is more important than ever, and I am just as committed to it as I have ever been,” Beyer said. “Serving the people of Virginia’s Eighth District is the greatest honor of my life, I am humbled by the trust they have placed in me, and I will continue to put their needs foremost as I fight for progress in our community and our country.”
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Chris Graham
