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Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
June 14, 2016 |
Don Beyer  |
Don Beyer |
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Cook Political Report: Solid D[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe D[3] |
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The 8th Congressional District of Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Don Beyer (D) defeated Charles Hernick (R) and Julio Gracia (independent) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Hernick defeated Mike Webb in the Republican convention on May 7, 2016.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Virginia utilizes an open primary process in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[6]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election, the incumbent was Don Beyer (D), who was first elected in 2014.
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, Virginia's 8th Congressional District was located in the northeastern portion of the state and included Arlington County and portions of Fairfax County. Alexandria city and Falls Church city were also located within the district.[7]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Don Beyer Incumbent |
68.4% | 246,653 | |
| Republican | Charles Hernick | 27.3% | 98,387 | |
| Independent | Julio Gracia | 4.1% | 14,664 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.3% | 972 | |
| Total Votes | 360,676 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Candidates
|
General election candidates: Don Beyer   Charles Hernick Julio Gracia |
|
Filed candidates:[8] |
|
Democratic |
Republican Mike Webb[11] |
District history
2014
The 8th Congressional District of Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Former Lieutenant Governor Don Beyer (D) defeated Micah Edmond (R), Jeffrey Carson (L), Gerard Blais (G), and Gwendolyn Beck (independent) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Don Beyer |
63.1% | 128,102 | |
| Republican | Micah Edmond | 31.4% | 63,810 | |
| Libertarian | Jeffrey Carson | 2.2% | 4,409 | |
| Green | Gerard Blais | 0.5% | 963 | |
| Independent | Gwendolyn Beck | 2.7% | 5,420 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.2% | 372 | |
| Total Votes | 203,076 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
2012
The 8th Congressional District of Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Jim Moran (D) won re-election in the district.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Moran Incumbent |
64.6% | 226,847 | |
| Republican | Patrick Murray | 30.6% | 107,370 | |
| Independent | Jason Howell | 2.9% | 10,180 | |
| Green | Janet Murphy | 1.7% | 5,985 | |
| Write-In | N/A | 0.2% | 805 | |
| Total Votes | 351,187 | |||
| Source: Virginia State Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Virginia elections, 2016
The calendar below listed important dates for political candidates in Virginia in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| March 31, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for primary candidates | |
| April 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| June 6, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| June 14, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| June 14, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for general election candidates | |
| July 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| September 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| October 17, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| October 31, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| December 8, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| January 17, 2017 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due | |
| Sources: Virginia Department of Elections, "November 8, 2016 Elections Candidacy Requirements," accessed January 11, 2016 Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 Candidate Reporting Deadlines," accessed January 11, 2016 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
- Virginia elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Mike Webb for Congress," May 8, 2016
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "List of Candidates," accessed September 8, 2016
- ↑ Virginia Legislative Information System, "Va. Code § 24.2–530," accessed September 16, 2025
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Democratic candidate for the June 14, 2016, Primary," accessed April 6, 2016
- ↑ Charles Hernick for Congres, "Home," accessed May 14, 2016
- ↑ Mike Webb for Congress, "Home," accessed March 3, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Virginia"
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
