A former Alexandria City Council member used a candidate forum to rip into Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) as the Democratic congressional primary draws closer and heats up.
At the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s candidate forum on July 1, Mo Seifeldein went after Beyer on campaign finances and banking reform. Seifeldein also said the incumbent “hasn’t pushed back” on the Trump administration or Republicans in Congress.
Seifeldein served one term on City Council and in 2021 briefly considered a bid for mayor. He launched a campaign to unseat Beyer last summer and is one of four challengers in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. The winner becomes the odds-on favorite in the Nov. 3 general election.
Seifeldein tangled several times with Beyer during the 75-minute forum, 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.
Seifeldein, who as a child came to the U.S. from Sudan as a refugee, used the forum to call out Democrats for not denouncing what he termed genocide by Israel.
First elected in 2014, Beyer is seeking his seventh term in Congress. He previously served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor for two terms.
In remarks at the forum, 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.
During the campaign, Beyer also has been criticized by challenger Adam Dunigan.
At the forum, which drew about 200 people, 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.
And even though Dunigan was taking 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.”
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 the latter’s remarks.
“Just cut it out,” Duffin said, drawing jeers apparently from Dunigan supporters.
Bruner is a resident of Stafford County. She entered the 8th District race when it was expected that 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 perspective.
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 among candidates on most topics.
“I really want the things Michael, Lorena, Adam and Mo want,” said Beyer, who served two terms as Virginia’s lieutenant governor and in 1997 was the Democratic nominee in an unsuccessful bid for governor.
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.
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 who 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 prove 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 path to victory.
The 8th District includes all of Alexandria, Arlington and the city of 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, but the primary likely will be the only election that matters, as the district is considered a Democratic stronghold.
In the 2024 general election, Beyer won nearly 72% of the vote in a four-candidate field.
A defeat of Beyer in the primary would be among the biggest local congressional upsets since liberal Del. George Rawlings in 1966 defeated the conservative 36-year incumbent and Alexandria resident Rep. Howard “Judge” Smith in the Democratic primary.
That race was in the 10th District, which at the time included much of the geography of the current 8th District.
Rawlings proved too liberal for the district’s voters and was defeated in the general election by Republican William Scott. Scott later advanced to the U.S. Senate, serving a single term from 1973-79.
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.
Beyer, Bruner, Duffin, Dunigan, Seifeldein and Tony Sabio have been invited to participate.
