Beyer Faces 3 Challengers In 8th Congressional District General Election

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As Rep. Don Beyer, a Democrat, seeks a sixth term in Virginia's 8th Congressional District, he faces three challengers in the Nov. 5 general election.

Beyer faces Republican Jerry Torres and independent candidates David Kennedy and Bentley Hensel. Virginia's 8th Congressional District covers Arlington County, the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, and portions of Fairfax County. The district is labeled as strong Democratic by the Virginia Public Access Project.

Beyer, 74, was first elected to the 8th Congressional District seat in 2014, replacing retiring Democratic Rep. Jim Moran. Beyer, an Alexandria resident, is a former owner of his family's car dealership before selling his shares in the business in 2019.

The congressman previously served as Virginia's lieutenant governor from 1990 to 1998 and was an ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2009. Beyer was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1997 and served as Virginia chair of several Democratic presidential campaigns.

In the last congressional election in 2022, Beyer easily won re-election to a fifth term in office, defeating Republican candidate Karina Lipsman.

Along with the 8th Congressional District race, voters will have the U.S. Senate between Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine and Republican Hung Cao, president and a Virginia constitutional amendment on the ballot. Alexandria has mayoral, school board and city council on the ballot, while Arlington has county board and school board seats on the ballot. Fairfax County has several bond questions in addition to the federal races.

Early voting began on Sept. 20 and will continue until Nov. 2. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot will be 5 p.m. on Oct. 25. Completed ballots must be returned to the voter's local elections office by 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 or postmarked by Nov. 5 and received in the office by noon on Nov. 8.

The deadline for voter registration or updating your address is Oct. 15, but same-day registrations with a provisional ballot will be accepted through Election Day. For Election Day voting, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5. An acceptable form of ID is required to vote in person.

Depending on which locality you live in, check for more information from your elections office in the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, City of Falls Church or Fairfax County.

Follow Patch on election night for live results of key races in Northern Virginia.