Everyone in Northern Virginia knows someone who was 鈥淒OGEd,鈥� either laid off or otherwise impacted by sweeping cuts initiated through President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk鈥檚 Department of Government Efficiency.
Virginia is home to nearly 200,000 ; over 20,000 of them last year.
The pain of those losses runs deep in the state鈥檚 8th Congressional District, a strongly Democratic region anchored in Northern Virginia. Many voters there said they are struggling to get by without income while they wait for their pensions to process. Private sector workplaces contracting with the government have also been hit.
In the district closest to Capitol Hill, four former and current government employees are running to unseat six-term U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, a Democrat, as they put forward different visions on how to help the area recover from Trump鈥檚 cuts. Their campaigns address government ethics, big money in politics and concerns about the state of American democracy.
Republicans have their nominee in Tony Sabio, but in the deep-blue district, the Democratic primary is the most-watched contest.
鈥楧iplomacy matters, feds matter,鈥� Michael Duffin says
Democrat decided to run because he felt Beyer was not fighting hard enough for fired federal workers.
Duffin鈥檚 career at the U.S. Department of State, where he worked to counter terrorist propaganda, ended in July 2025 due to DOGE cuts.
鈥淲e were fired to make a point, to make a political statement,鈥� Duffin said.
Now, Duffin is running on an aspiration to reinstate the federal workers lost to Trump鈥檚 鈥渆xtreme鈥� cuts.鈥淢y neighbor, two doors down, he was a contractor at USAID (the United States Agency for International Development),鈥� Duffin said. 鈥淗e was one of the first firings back in January of 2025 as a contractor, had no severance, salary was immediately cut, benefits were immediately cut. He took a job in Seattle, Washington 鈥� and there were four other families like that on my block.鈥�
Beyond reinstating employees, Duffin wants to undo what he sees as a breakdown in ethics under the Trump administration 鈥� particularly by reforming immigration enforcement.
Speaking of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has ramped up its detainments and deportations in Trump鈥檚 second term, Duffin said the agency 鈥渉as to have leadership that recognizes civil rights.鈥�
Campaigning on a 鈥渇eds matter鈥� slogan, Duffin hopes to convince conservatives that agencies like FEMA and the National Weather Service deserve legislative advocates who will protect them 鈥� something he does not see Beyer doing.
鈥淥ur representative needs to be super vocal on the airwaves, beyond just liberal media, and build coalitions,鈥� Duffin said.
Mo Seifeldein brings left-leaning, anti-establishment energy
Former Alexandria City Councilman first arrived in Virginia as a Sudanese refugee who did not speak English when he was only a middle schooler, joining the region鈥檚 .
Seifeldein worked alongside his mother and siblings at McDonald鈥檚 to make ends meet, before eventually becoming the first immigrant councilor for the same city where President George Washington once served as a trustee.
Before serving as a councilman, Seifeldein resigned from being an attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor in protest of Trump鈥檚 policies during his first term.
As a councilman, Seifeldein helped secure a collective bargaining agreement for city bus drivers, a program linking 911 callers to mental health professionals and more affordable housing projects.
Seifeldein then flirted with a mayoral run, before eventually joining the wave of left-leaning, anti-establishment candidates springing up in primary races across the country.
Coming from a war-torn country, Seifeldein is deeply critical of Israel, which is now engaged in a war with Iran, aided by America. He is advocating for Medicare for All, universal childcare, more affordable housing, healthier and cheaper groceries and 鈥渁ccountability鈥� in government.
鈥淚鈥檓 not really one who鈥檚 afraid to speak against the leadership within the Democratic party,鈥� Seifeldein said. 鈥淲e need someone who鈥檚 going to lead the party and make sure it鈥檚 actually an incubator for new ideas.鈥�
Adam Dunigan wants to clean up corruption in politics
grew up a punk rocker in Los Angeles, served in Afghanistan as a Marine and was then a CIA case officer before he said he 鈥渄etonated his entire life鈥� by resigning in protest 鈥� three years before his pension eligibility 鈥� to launch a bid for Congress.
鈥淢y campaign centers around making sure there鈥檚 consequences for breaking social trust, breaking the law, putting some dignity back at the center of how we govern, and trying to give people back the quality of life that years and years of apathy and passive corruption in Washington has stolen from them,鈥� the first-time Democratic candidate said.
Dunigan has presented himself as a young, anti-establishment candidate like Seifeldein, but with more middle-of-the-road policy proposals.
鈥淵ou probably need somebody like me to step in as a bridge in this period,鈥� Dunigan said, to help correct what he called 鈥渢he lack of seriousness that has affected the government.鈥�
Dunigan said it is unrealistic to pass Democrat-led federal bills while Trump is in office, but in the meantime, legislators聽 can focus on energy production 鈥� including green, renewable and nuclear energy 鈥� using the war in Iran and rising gas prices as a selling point.
Dunigan also wants single-payer healthcare, more competitive salaries for teachers, stronger unions, reformed immigration enforcement and regulations for artificial intelligence.
Beyer is an effective legislator, Dunigan said, but his style is out of date.
With Trump鈥檚 attempted broadening of presidential power, Dunnigan said Democrats in Congress need 鈥渁uthentic鈥� political newcomers over the 鈥渉esitant鈥� older generation to win back control and retain it.
鈥淲e might only get one more window,鈥� Dunigan said.
Lorena Bruner focuses on beating back Trump
Stafford County Public Schools teacher Lorena Bruner initially entered the 8th District race when Virginia Democrats expected their redistricting proposal to go into effect.
Voters the plan to redraw the state鈥檚 congressional maps in April. But when the Supreme Court of Virginia , Bruner opted to keep running, despite not living in the district, partially because she noticed all her competitors were men.
Bruner, who previously ran twice for Stafford County commissioner of revenue, wants to immediately impeach Trump to stop the 鈥渄amage he does by the day.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 like a cancer,鈥� Bruner said. 鈥淭he longer you leave him untreated, the worse it gets.鈥�
Bruner also supports Medicare for All, more student debt relief, a crackdown on gerrymandering and an expansion, or rebalancing, of the Supreme Court.
How Beyer wants to spend his seventh term
With Trump鈥檚 veto pen in mind, Beyer said, if he is re-elected, his top priority over the next two years will be to keep championing fusion energy and finish a
鈥淭he biggest part of affordability is energy costs, and if we can break through with the creation of fusion energy, we can solve climate change, lift the remaining two billion people out of poverty and also dramatically reduce costs for homeowners and businesses,鈥� Beyer said.
Beyer鈥檚 other top focus areas include regulating AI 鈥� he just introduced a 鈥� and 鈥渟olving the challenges facing the chronically mentally ill,鈥� he said.
Beyer said DOGE 鈥渁ttacks鈥� have exacerbated the affordability crisis impacting the region. Fewer people are moving there due to workforce cuts, making it hard for older people to sell their homes and make way for younger people. Those who were laid off are struggling to make ends meet, he said. He has sought to ameliorate those problems.
鈥淲e spent an enormous amount of time trying to help people connect to state and local services, whether it鈥檚 everything from housing, to getting food, to health care, job search,鈥� Beyer said. 鈥淲e were doing job fairs, doing financial planning things.鈥�
While he understands voters鈥� frustrations, Beyer thinks Democrats are fighting effectively聽 against Trump. He said he would vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, as the next Speaker of the House.
Beyer wants many of the same things as his rivals: single-payer healthcare, regulations for AI and relief for former federal workers. But they differ on how to enact that agenda.
鈥淥ne of the things that my opponents would realize if they came here is that the ability to get things done is based on the quality of relationships, and relationships don鈥檛 happen like that,鈥� Beyer said.
Opponents attack Beyer over age, 鈥榗orporate PAC money,鈥� stock trading聽
Duffin, Dunigan and Seifeldein have all lodged similar attacks at Beyer that center on his age, acceptance of 鈥渃orporate PAC money鈥� and trading of stocks while in Congress. All three pledged to not accept those kinds of donations and pursue policies to ban congressional stock trading.
Beyer, 76, is one of the richest members of Congress, with an .
Seifeldein criticized Beyer for taking $5,000 this cycle from HCA Healthcare, which opposes Medicare for All.
Dunigan noted the thousands of dollars Beyer regularly accepts from defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, both of which have offices in the 8th District.
鈥淚t should make us uncomfortable, the amount of money being thrown around in politics, which is why I am 100% not engaging in that system,鈥� Dunigan said.
Those grievances came to a climax during a July 1 in which Dunigan and Seifeldein 鈥� , according to campaign finance reports 鈥� criticized him in front of a packed crowd.
Seifeldein condemned Beyer鈥檚 donor money, while Dunigain called out establishment Democrats for refusing to make way for the younger generation.
鈥淚 would love for there to be no PACs at all, get rid of Citizens United, take money out of politics,鈥� Beyer responded. 鈥淏ut in the meantime, we鈥檝e got to fight fire with fire,鈥� he continued, arguing Democrats cannot afford to be outspent by Republicans.
In a prior interview with the Mercury, Beyer said none of his votes have been influenced by money he accepted. He also noted that the rationale of disallowing corporate PAC money would also disallow environmental, labor and women鈥檚 PAC money, because it all goes through the same process.
Asked about his age, Beyer touted his current 3.9 GPA at George Mason University, where he has gone back to school to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in computer science. He also recently completed the Appalachian Trail.
鈥淚 still think I鈥檓 37,鈥� Beyer said.
Early voting in Virginia is already underway. about the candidates and issues in Virginia鈥檚 key primary races.
What 8th District voters are saying聽
Alexandria resident Jenell Webb, 51, said he looks for integrity, intelligence, clear communication and accessibility in his elected officials. So far, he has no complaints about Beyer.
鈥淚f I wanted to meet him to discuss something, I could send an email and within three days his office will get in contact with me, get more information and then set up a face-to-face meeting with the guy,鈥� Webb said.
Webb does believe there needs to be a change of guard in Congress, but he still supports Beyer despite his age.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what a challenger could offer to make me vote for them, especially losing that seniority in the House,鈥� Webb said.
Rebecca Ferree, born and raised in Northern Virginia, works as a public school teacher in Arlington. She does not think Democrats are doing a good job fighting Trump and wants to see them innovate on their approach.
Ferree wants to protect the environment from AI data centers and majorly overhaul what she views to be an ineffective education system. She is not committed to any one candidate.
Mike Podesta, 30, moved to Arlington for work in 2018. He has since been priced out and is relocating to Alexandria.
鈥淚鈥檝e been pinching pennies just trying to maintain this current quality of life,鈥� Podesta said.
Podesta works for a company that used to receive funding from USAID. He knows many people in the field who were laid off.
Podesta wants to see the establishment be more inclusive and take a more hardline stance against Trump.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e seeing across the board, both the left and right, we鈥檙e very much upset with the lack of progress on income disparity, the cost of living,鈥� Podesta said.
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