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by Andrew Kerley, Virginia Mercury
September 8, 2026
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Alexandria, joined a recent call with small business owners from around the country to discuss economic challenges Americans are facing due to rising healthcare, food and fuel costs, which he said are the result of President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans not meeting their promise to lower costs.
Beyer — one of the richest members of Congress — said everything he does is informed by his “small business background” that keeps him attuned to the public’s fiscal frustrations. He is seeking a seventh congressional term.
“I spent 46 years running the family car dealership,” Beyer said. “So fixing cars, selling cars, selling parts. You know, having an anxiety attack on the 10th of every month, wondering whether we made money, whether we lost money.”
How 8th Congressional District Democratic primary reflects party’s shifting identity and priorities
Unrig Our Economy, a left-leaning organization that advocates for economic reforms and policies such as “tax the rich,” organized the call. The group released a figure detailing the “Republican price tag,” the average extra amount Americans have paid for healthcare, groceries, utilities, clothing, gas and basic household expenses since Trump’s second term started.
Their original estimate was $3,500, but that number has since grown to $3,800. The report cites data from a report by Democrats in the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, of which Beyer is the senior House Democrat.
On the state level, Virginians have paid about $3,200 more for goods and services under the Trump Administration; about $686 on housing costs, $310 for groceries, $702 in gas and $107 for electricity, according to Democrats’ report.
New polling shared by the Democratically-aligned research group Navigator showed three out of four Americans view the economy negatively. Three out of five said they are feeling “uneasy about their personal financial situation over the next few months.”
Beyer, opponents weigh in on affordability struggles
Beyer has spoken this year about how people in and around his Northern Virginia district have suffered due to federal workforce cuts — an issue that defined the five-way primary election he overwhelmingly won in August.
Now, the longtime congressman is refining his message to focus on the extra costs for consumers on Republican’s watch.
The GOP’s passage of the “largest healthcare cut in American history” in their “big ugly bill,” Trump’s renewed reliance on global tariffs and his “illegal” war with Iran that has costed billions in defense spending and driven up gas prices are the root cause of the nation’s economic woes, Beyer said.
“Republicans have done almost nothing to lower prices,” Beyer said. “They have total control of government. They have the House, the Senate and the White House, and they’re using it to give Donald Trump his rubber stamp for everything he does to make the problem worse.”
Beyer is asking voters to elect Democrats to Congress, who are focused on lowering prices for the American people, his deputy chief of staff Aaron Fritschner stated in an email.
“Our leadership, including Congressman Beyer, have identified specific, substantive steps that they intend to take early in their majority, including repealing health care cuts from Republicans’ one big ugly bill, restoring trade authority to Congress and stopping President Trump’s destructive trade wars, and ending Trump’s illegal war with Iran,” Fritschner stated.
In the race to represent Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and parts of Fairfax, Beyer is facing three challengers.
Republican Tony Sabio is a “Reagan-style conservative” who served in the military, Secret Service and the CIA. Libertarian and “Fairfax warrior mom” Shelly Arnoldi and independent candidate Tim Sharman are also on the ballot.
Sabio has raised $21,917 according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Sharman has raised $25,000 and Arnoldi does not have any finances reported. Beyer’s fundraising dwarfs the competition’s, with over $2.1 million raised and $860,000 cash on hand as of July 1.
In a statement provided to the Mercury after Beyer’s press call, Sabio acknowledged the financial strains many are facing, but said “Northern Virginia families don’t need another Washington blame game.”
“These issues did not appear overnight. Families in Northern Virginia have been struggling with affordability for years, and I do not believe Congressman Beyer’s record has delivered enough improvement in the everyday lives of the people he serves,” Sabio stated.
Sabio said a more “strategic” use of tariffs could provide solutions, as well as expanding American nuclear energy efforts, creating home ownership incentives for essential workers and building out a private-sector jobs ecosystem in the region centered around technology and cybersecurity that is less dependent on Washington.
Sharman said the answer to beating rising costs is not “simply to tax and spend more.”
“We need greater efficiency, smarter regulation, an end to abusive corporate practices, higher wages, and economic growth that reaches more Americans,” Sharman stated.
Congress “cannot fix every price overnight,” Arnoldi stated, but can stop driving costs up through reckless spending, bad energy policy, unnecessary wars, tariffs, taxes and red tape.”
“My approach is simple: peace, affordable energy, lower taxes, less regulation, less spending and no hidden taxes on the things Virginians need every day,” she stated.
Election Day on the horizon
Having cleared his primary hurdles, Beyer appears to be in a strong position heading into the midterms in his Northern Virginia district, a Democratic stronghold. He has not won a general election by less than 70% since 2014.
Beyer — a major fundraiser for his party — has acted to shore up other Democratic races down ballot and in other congressional districts. He said he’s also looped in with candidates in swing districts across the country.
He also maxed out his donations to Virginia’s 1st Congressional District Democratic nominee Shannon Taylor, 2nd District nominee Elaine Luria, 5th District nominee Tom Perriello and 6th District nominee Beth Macy.
Early voting in Virginia starts on Sept. 18. The deadline to register to vote or apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 23. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
