Democrat Donald S. Beyer Jr. is running for reelection to represent Virginia's 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district includes McLean and much of Northern Virginia.

Beyer faces three challengers in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election: Anthony A. Sabio (Republican), Shelly M. Arnoldi (Libertarian) and Tim S. Sharman (Independent), according to BallotReady election data. Beyer has been certified for the ballot.

Candidate information

  • Name: Donald S. Beyer Jr.
  • Party: Democratic
  • Born: June 20, 1950, in Trieste (Free Territory of Trieste, now Italy)
  • Family background: Son of a U.S. Army officer
  • Education: High school diploma, Gonzaga College High School (1968); bachelor's degree in economics, Williams College (1972); master's degree in computer science (machine learning concentration), George Mason University (enrolled, in progress)
  • Honors: Named a Presidential Scholar by President Lyndon Johnson; salutatorian of his class at Gonzaga College High School

Experience and public service

Beyer has represented Virginia's 8th Congressional District since 2015, according to BallotReady profile data. He serves as the senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee and as a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, where he sits on the Subcommittee on Trade and the Subcommittee on Tax, according to his congressional biography.

Before Congress, Beyer served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1998 and was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1997, according to BallotReady and his congressional biography. He served as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein from 2009 to 2013.

In the private sector, Beyer owned Don Beyer Volvo from 1974 to 2019 and Beyer Subaru from 1999 to 2019, according to BallotReady. He co-founded the Northern Virginia Technology Council, according to his congressional biography. He also chaired Jobs for Virginia Graduates and the Virginia Economic Recovery Commission.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Beyer's responses on his campaign website via BallotReady. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.

Housing: Beyer said there is a shortage of 148,720 rental homes in Virginia that are affordable and available for extremely low-income renters. "Now is the time to expand and improve our programs to tackle America's affordable housing crisis in a meaningful way, and I will continue to work in Congress to better meet the needs of the American people," Beyer said on his campaign website.

Economy and taxes: Beyer said he has authored legislation and chaired hearings on expanding universal paid leave, shrinking the gender and racial wage gaps, and expanding and extending the Child Tax Credit. He said he has introduced legislation to require wealthy individuals and large corporations to pay what he called their fair share in taxes.

Environment and energy: Beyer said he sponsors the Healthy Climate and Family Security Act, a carbon cap and dividend bill that would auction carbon pollution credits and return proceeds to Americans. He said his bipartisan SEA FUEL Act, which helps the military capture carbon to create fuels, was signed into law in a previous session of Congress. He said he founded the Congressional Fusion Caucus.

Education: Beyer said he supports federal education programs including Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. He said he has opposed what he called illegal actions by the current administration against the education system, including through legislation and lawsuits.

Immigration: Beyer said he has supported the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which would shield schools, churches and hospitals from immigration enforcement. He said he has led legislation including the ICE Visibility Act and the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act.

Endorsements

The following endorsements were claimed by the endorsing organizations, according to BallotReady profile data:

  • AFL-CIO
  • A New Policy PAC
  • Brady: United Against Gun Violence
  • Council for a Livable World
  • democracyFIRST
  • Feminist Majority PAC
  • Foreign Policy for America Action Network
  • Freethought Equality Fund PAC
  • Giffords
  • GiveGreen
  • Humane Society of the United States
  • LGBT Democrats of Virginia
  • National Organization For Women
  • Population Connection Action Fund
  • The League of Conservation Voters

Candidate issue responses were collected by BallotReady from the candidate's campaign website.