Michael Duffin, a fired State Department worker from Alexandria who is running for Congress, appeared on “The Daily Show” Tuesday to discuss federal workforce reductions by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Duffin, who lives in the West End with his wife and two children, was one of more than 1,300 federal workers fired by the State Department in July 2025. The Democrat running in the 8th Congressional District joined Maryland congressional candidates Alexis Goldstein and Tracy Starr and New York candidate Alissa Ellman in “The Daily Show” segment on fired federal workers’ campaigns.
“My campaign is focused on reinstating federal workers and contractors who were unjustly terminated by the Trump administration,” Duffin said. “This advocacy on The Daily Show and other programs is essential for keeping this critical issue on the minds of the public and lawmakers.”
The satirical segment focused on interviews with Duffin and the other congressional candidates who lost their jobs due to reductions in force by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Daily Show’s Desi Lydic questioned the candidates on why they wanted to return to serve the government that fired them.
“We need people who are focused on public service. It’s accountability. It’s justice. It’s reform,” Duffin said in the segment. “It’s not revenge. I want to continue my public service.”
Duffin spent 12 years at the State Department — including nearly a decade in the Bureau of Counterterrorism — where he worked on programs addressing white supremacist organizations starting in 2016 and helped expand the Strong Cities Network. His State Department work took him to 25 countries, and he received multiple awards, including a Superior Honor Award and a Benjamin Franklin Award.
In his 8th Congressional District campaign, Duffin has been critical of how Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) and Democratic leaders have responded to federal firings.
“Rep. Beyer has not been an effective advocate for federal employees,” Duffin said. “Thousands of constituents have lost their jobs and benefits, and many of them are now moving away.”
Beyer, whose district has one of the largest numbers of federal workers, has been vocal against federal reductions by the Trump administration.
The Democratic primary for the 8th Congressional District is on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Beyer, who was first elected to the office in 2014, is seeking a seventh term. Other candidates include former Alexandria City Council Member Mo Seifeldein, veteran and former CIA officer Adam Dunigan and military family advocate Lorena Bruner.
The Democratic nominee will face Republican candidate, veteran and former Secret Service officer Tony Sabio in the Nov. 3 general election. The strongly-Democratic 8th Congressional District includes all of Alexandria, Arlington County, the city of Falls Church and part of Fairfax County.
