His decision came as no surprise, but on Jan. 24, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer made it official – he’s seeking his fifth two-year term.
“I will make the best case I can for re-election by continuing to work hard and delivering results for the people,” Beyer (D-8th) said in a statement released by his campaign.
Although he is likely to face both primary-election and general-election opposition, Beyer is almost assured an easy route to a new term. He was first elected in 2014 to succeed U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, who retired.
In his announcement, Beyer said he “worked harder than ever” to assist his constituents over the past year, while also working to enact several pieces of legislation. Beyer said he represented “capable, experienced leadership” that delivers for those in the 8th District, which includes all of Arlington County and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church and pieces of Fairfax County.
An auto dealer by profession (although he has since sold his share of the business to family members), Beyer served eight years as Virginia’s lieutenant governor before fighting an unsuccessful race for governor against Republican Jim Gilmore. He went on to become ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein – never forget Liechtenstein – in the Obama administration before easily winning a crowded Democratic primary and the subsequent general election to succeed Moran.
Northern Virginia’s two other members of the U.S. House of Representatives – Democrats Jennifer Wexton in the 10th District and Gerald Connolly in the 11th District – are expected to seek re-election. All three districts are heavily Democratic in composition following congressional redistricting completed earlier this year.