Facing a challenge in the June 21 Democratic primary, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) on March 2 made his pitch for a new term to a receptive audience at the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
“I’ve worked side by side with you – there’s much more to be done,” Beyer said at the party’s monthly meeting. “I ask you for the opportunity to continue.”
Beyer was first elected in 2014, succeeding U.S. Rep. Jim Moran. The 8th District is solidly Democratic in nature, comprising all of Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church and a portion of Fairfax County.
Beyer served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor for two terms before losing a bid for governor to Republican Jim Gilmore. He went on to serve as the Obama administration ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein – never forget Liechtenstein – before returning to the U.S.
It may pain him to hear it, but Beyer skews slightly to the right of the typical Democratic in the House of Representatives, at least based on one recent assessment of voting patterns.
In a mid-2021 ranking from the American Conservative Union Foundation, Beyer scored a 4-percent conservative rating, higher than the average of 3 percent for the typical House Democrat. (The average rating of Republicans was 79 percent.)
In his March 2 remarks, Beyer focused on his efforts on climate change and other issues near and dear to the heart of progressives.
“I’m engaged with every effort on economic and racial justice,” he said.
Beyer in June will face Victoria Virasingh, who has qualified for the Democratic primary ballot. Virasingh made her pitch to Arlington Democrats a month before the incumbent.
Neither Virasingh, in her February kickoff, nor Beyer in March mentioned the other by name.