Former Alexandria City Councilmember Mo Seifeldein is second to Rep. Don Beyer in fundraising for the Aug. 4 Democratic primary race in the 8th Congressional District.
According to FEC filings through the end of 2025, incumbent Beyer led Democratic candidates with $1.16 million in fundraising. Seifeldein followed with over $117,000. The only other Democratic candidate reporting donations through the end of 2025 is fired State Department worker Michael Duffin, with over $23,000.
Seifeldein’s fundraising means Beyer is one of 30 House Democrats to face a primary challenger who has secured at least $100,000 in funding, according to reporting this week by Axios.
Frank Ferreira, Adam Dunigan and Daniel Gray are also running in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. The Democratic nominee will face the winner of the Republican primary, which is a runoff between Tony Sabio, Heerak Christian Kim and Luke Nathan Phillips. There is still a chance for other candidates to run — the filing deadlines are May 26 for candidates seeking their party’s nomination and Aug. 4 for independent candidates.
Seifeldein, whose campaign has pledged to not accept donations from corporate political action committees, told ALXnow his support comes from grassroots fundraising. Seifeldein won his council seat in 2018 despite raising just $9,800 — the least among candidates. He pointed to the election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as another example of grassroots support winning over super PAC-backed candidates.
“Our grassroots fundraising shows that people are ready for something different from corporate Democrats,” Seifeldein told ALXnow. “Our support comes from regular people, not corporate PACs. In places like New York, voters have shown that big money does not always win when people want change.”
Seifeldein announced his congressional bid in August 2025 after resigning from his role as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor in protest of Trump administration actions against the federal workforce and immigrants. The Sudanese American candidate emphasized his working class background in his push for a next-generation voice to represent the district.
Even if mid-decade redistricting is approved by Virginia voters in an April 21 special election, Alexandria would remain in an 8th Congressional District that stretches down to Yorktown. Seifeldein will continue to run in the 8th Congressional District and says his campaign has the bandwidth to reach the proposed district.
“We are ready for this change, and our analysis shows that our chances of winning are even better with the new district,” Seifeldein said. “These voters want a proven leader who will stand up for working people, not just the wealthiest 1%. My work on the City Council and as a federal labor attorney shows I can deliver on these issues.”
Seifeldein says affordability will remain the top issue for voters. He said he opposes “unnecessary foreign wars,” in favor of prioritizing federal spending on domestic needs.
“Affordability is the biggest issue, and my top priorities are Medicare for all, affordable housing, and universal childcare,” Seifeldein said. “Places like Arlington and Alexandria have among the highest childcare costs in the country, which puts significant pressure on families. We should not keep spending money on overseas conflicts while people here struggle to pay for basic needs.”
The congressional candidate served on the Alexandria City Council from 2019 to 2021, becoming the first Sudanese American and Muslim elected to the position. He sponsored Virginia’s first independent Community Police Review Board and helped establish what the ACORP program, pairing mental health professionals with police officers.
The 8th Congressional District, with its current boundaries, is strong Democratic, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. If redistricting moves forward, the district is projected to remain blue.
Early voting starts today (Friday) for the redistricting amendment voter referendum and City Council special election. The congressional primary was moved from June 16 to Aug. 4 to allow more time for candidate filings, depending on the outcome of the redistricting referendum.
