Candidates for the 8th Congressional District will gather in Alexandria for a candidate forum next week.
Shiloh Baptist Church and the NAACP Alexandria Branch will host the candidate forum at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9 in the Shiloh Baptist Church Worship Center (1401 Jamieson Avenue). Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
The event is nonpartisan, so all candidates running in the 8th Congressional district race were invited. NAACP Alexandria Branch President Darrlynn Franklin told ALXnow all candidates but military family advocate Lorena Bruner have confirmed intent to participate. That includes Rep. Don Beyer (D-8), former Alexandria City Council Member Mo Seifeldein, veteran and former CIA officer Adam Dunigan, fired State Department worker Michael Duffin and Republican nominee and former Secret Service officer Tony Sabio.
According to a release, the forum is free and open to the public to allow voters to hear from candidates about issues affecting the 8th Congressional District. Candidates will discuss their priorities and respond to questions.
“As people of faith and engaged citizens, we believe informed participation in the democratic process strengthens our communities,” Shiloh Baptist Church leadership said in a statement. “This forum is intended to provide voters with an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates in a respectful, informative, and nonpartisan setting.”
The Democratic primary for the 8th Congressional District is on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The 8th Congressional District, which has a strong Democratic partisan leaning, includes all of Alexandria, Arlington County, the city of Falls Church and part of Fairfax County.
Beyer, who was first elected to the office in 2014, is seeking a seventh term. Seifeldein, Dunigan, Duffin and Bruner are running against Beyer in the Democratic primary, and the winner will face Sabio in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election.
Four of the Democratic candidates participated in a Fairfax County Democratic Committee forum on Sunday (June 28) at the Franconia Governmental Center. All five Democratic candidates are expected to join an Arlington Democrats forum from 7-9 p.m. tonight (July 1) at the Lubber Run Community Center.
Early voting for the primary election began on June 18, and mail-in ballots can be requested until July 24. The registration deadline is July 24, but same-day registration through Election Day allows residents to register and cast a provisional ballot. More information about voting in Alexandria is available on the Office of Voter Registration and Elections website.
