City of Alexandria

Incumbent Congressman Don Beyer (D), was born to a military family in the Free Territory of Trieste. He is the grandson of Clara Mortenson Beyer, who helped implement the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Don Beyer chairs Congress’s Joint Economic Committee, as well as the Space Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. He is also a member of the New Democrat Coaltion’s Climate Change Task Force and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, Megan.

Beyer considers the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a serious threat to reproductive freedom and a denial of fundamental human rights. He believes that bodily autonomy is integral to gender equality. The congressman believes that abortion is health care and access to abortion is key to economic freedom. He also points to systemic racial inequities that have led to disparities, specifically with the Black maternal mortality rate. He has consistently voted in favor of abortion access legislation and co-sponsored the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022.

Beyer recognizes the impact of generations of injustices towards Black and Brown communities. He voted twice for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which included his legislation with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, requiring federal officers to use body and dashboard cameras. He considers himself a “strong proponent of criminal justice reform” and believes racial justice must be addressed in all legislation, including environmental justice, health care, criminal justice reform, and education. He opposes the death penalty and supports legalizing cannabis. Last year, he pushed to end Arlington House’s designation as a memorial to Robert E. Lee.

Gun violence prevention is a major priority for Beyer, who believes that weapons of war do not belong in American communities. He co-sponsored the Protecting Our Kids Act, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022, and the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2021. He also voted for both the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022 and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021. Beyer also voted for legislation to close the Charleston loophole and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, which closed the “boyfriend loophole.”

Beyer supports comprehensive immigration reform with a humane approach that treats people with dignity. He views Trump’s treatment of immigrants and refugees as racist and a national embarrassment. He voted for the American Dream Act of 2021, which allowed DREAMERs to get lawful permanent resident status for 10 years. Additionally, he helped pass the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act and the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act.

Beyer’s opponent is Karina Lipsman (R), who spent over a decade in defense and intelligence. She considers calls to defund the police as hurtful to communities. In response to restoring trust in the government, she stated, “Fauci should be jailed.” She blames illegal immigration for the rate of drug overdoses.

Due to his record of supporting abortion access, criminal justice reform, gun violence prevention, and comprehensive immigration reform, Don Beyer is the more progressive candidate for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District.

Incumbent Congressman Gerry Connolly has served in Congress since 2008. He is a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and chairs the Subcommittee on Government Operations. He also serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and is president of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly. His political career began in 1995, when he was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Congressman Connolly lives in Fairfax with his wife, Smitty.

Connolly believes in a holistic approach to racial justice that addresses the history of racism in the country and its impact on life today. He was an original co-sponsor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the Green New Deal. He supported the Environmental Justice Mapping and Data Collection Act, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, and the movement to enshrine Juneteenth National Independence Day as a federal holiday. He also supports statehood for Washington, DC, noting it is a historically Black city.

Connolly is a strong supporter of common-sense gun violence prevention measures and believes in a holistic approach to ending gun violence. He recognizes that the most vulnerable communities are disproportionately impacted by gun violence. He supports reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban, mandating safe gun storage, universal background checks before purchasing a gun, and closing the gun show loophole. Additionally, he recognizes the link between gun violence and white supremacist radicalization. He regularly joins demonstrations, vigils, and protests against the NRA.

Connolly supports bodily autonomy and criticized the Supreme Court and the Texas abortion ban. His greatest priority is codifying protections for abortion access, and he led the fight to overturn the Hyde Amendment. He understands that intersections that are impacted by abortion bans. He believes in equal and equitable access to Medicare and funding for family planning, including abortion coverage. Additionally, he co-sponsored the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and supported the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021.

Connolly advocates for compassionate immigration reform. He supports DREAMers and the DACA program, joining bipartisan efforts to enshrine DACA. He believes Congress should ensure all refugees and immigrants have a pathway to citizenship. Connolly opposes separating families and deporting people who arrived in the country as children. Additionally, he opposes limits set on refugees and introduced the Lady Liberty Act of 2021, which would institute a minimum of at least 125,000 refugees to be admitted to the country annually.

Connolly is facing Republican Jim Myles, a US Air Force veteran and federal judge. Myles has criticized lockdowns, restrictions, and vaccine mandate efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. He has called for a caneling of cancel culture. He wants to give even more money to out of control police departments and wants to finish the border wall.

Due to his compassionate immigration policies, his record of fighting for abortion access and reproductive rights, and his commitment to racial justice and ending the gun violence endemic, Gerry Connolly is the more progressive candidate in the race for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District.