Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2024
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Virginia's 8th Congressional District |
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Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
Election details |
Filing deadline: April 4, 2024 |
Primary: June 18, 2024 General: November 5, 2024 |
How to vote |
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Virginia |
Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic |
Ballotpedia analysis |
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024 |
See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th Virginia elections, 2024 U.S. Congress elections, 2024 U.S. Senate elections, 2024 U.S. House elections, 2024 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 8th Congressional District of Virginia, held elections in 2024. The general election was November 5, 2024. The primary was June 18, 2024. The filing deadline was April 4, 2024. The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.
At the time of the election, Republicans held a 220-212 majority with three vacancies.[1] As a result of the election, Republicans retained control of the U.S. House, winning 220 seats to Democrats' 215.[2] To read more about the 2024 U.S. House elections, click here.
In the 2022 election in this district, the Democratic candidate won 73.5%-24.8%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 77.4%-21.3%.[3]
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Democratic primary)
- Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8
Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. defeated Jerry Torres, David Kennedy, and Bentley Hensel in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) | 71.5 | 274,593 |
![]() | Jerry Torres (R) | 24.7 | 94,676 | |
![]() | David Kennedy (Independent) ![]() | 2.6 | 9,956 | |
![]() | Bentley Hensel (Independent) ![]() | 1.0 | 3,656 | |
Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 1,034 |
Total votes: 383,915 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jeramy Olmack (No Party Affiliation)
- Stephen Leon (Independent)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrew Campbell (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Jerry Torres advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mike Webb (R)
- Bill Moher (R)
- Adam Sahebian (R)
- Heerak Christian Kim (R)
- Gavin Proffitt (R)
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Independent
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I’m a data-driven problem solver and transparency advocate, dedicated to bringing real solutions to Washington. With a background in technology and public service, I’ve seen the urgent need to modernize our government systems for greater efficiency and accessibility. I’m leading by example and instantly reporting all campaign donations."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Virginia District 8 in 2024.
Party: Independent
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Dave is an Arlington, Virginia resident with a background in social justice ministry and higher education advocacy. He holds degrees from Lehigh University, the University of Chicago, and most recently, Wesley Theological Seminary. Dave is running as an Independent candidate for the 8th Congressional District in Northern Virginia,"
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Virginia District 8 in 2024.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Virginia
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Bentley Hensel (Independent)
Technological Innovation: Our government systems are outdated. I’m committed to modernizing our infrastructure with the latest technology, making services more effective, secure, and accessible.
Actionable Solutions Over Rhetoric: Voters deserve representatives who deliver real, data-driven solutions. I’m focused on practical, innovative approaches that benefit everyone.

David Kennedy (Independent)
Respect Differences ...
and when pushed, Stand-up to Bullies

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

Bentley Hensel (Independent)

David Kennedy (Independent)
Campaign finance
Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. | Democratic Party | $1,941,745 | $1,981,445 | $557,063 | As of December 31, 2024 |
Jerry Torres | Republican Party | $1,679,040 | $1,679,040 | $0 | As of November 25, 2024 |
Bentley Hensel | Independent | $17,454 | $17,665 | $38 | As of September 30, 2024 |
David Kennedy | Independent | $16,418 | $17,291 | $-873 | As of December 7, 2024 |
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[4]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[5][6][7]
Race ratings: Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 | |||||||||
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Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
November 5, 2024 | October 29, 2024 | October 22, 2024 | October 15, 2024 | ||||||
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | |||||
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | |||||
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. |
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Virginia in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Virginia, click here.
Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024 | ||||||
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State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
Virginia | U.S. House | Ballot-qualified party | 1,000 | $3,480.00 | 4/4/2024 | Source |
Virginia | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 1,000 | N/A | 6/18/2024 | Source |
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Virginia.
Virginia U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024 | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Office | Districts/ offices |
Seats | Open seats | Candidates | Possible primaries | Contested Democratic primaries | Contested Republican primaries | % of contested primaries | Incumbents in contested primaries | % of incumbents in contested primaries | ||||
2024 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 53 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 40.9% | 2 | 22.2% | ||||
2022 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 33 | 16[8] | 1 | 4 | 31.3% | 2 | 18.2% | ||||
2020 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 31 | 15[9] | 4 | 2 | 40.0% | 2 | 18.2% | ||||
2018 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 37 | 17[10] | 6 | 3 | 52.9% | 2 | 22.2% | ||||
2016 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 29 | 20[11] | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | 2 | 22.2% | ||||
2014 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 32 | 20[12] | 1 | 3 | 20.0% | 2 | 22.2% |
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Virginia in 2024. Information below was calculated on June 16, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Fifty-three candidates ran for Virginia’s 11 U.S. House districts, including 33 Democrats and 20 Republicans. That’s an average of 4.81 candidates per district.
This was also the most candidates who ran in primary elections in Virginia in the last 10 years.
The 7th and 10th Congressional Districts were open in 2024. The last time a seat was open in Virginia was in 2018 when two seats were open.
Incumbent Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-07) did not run for re-election because she will run for Governor of Virginia in 2025. Incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-10) retired from public office.
Sixteen candidates—12 Democrats and four Republicans—ran for the open 10th Congressional District, the most candidates who ran for a district in Virginia in 2024.
Nine primaries—six Democratic and three Republican—were contested in 2024. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 5.8 primaries were contested each election year.
Two incumbents—Gerald Edward Connolly (D-11) and Bob Good (R-05)—were in contested primaries in 2024. Since 2014, there have been two incumbents in contested primaries in Virginia in every election year.
Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all 11 districts, meaning no seats are guaranteed to either party.Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+26. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 26 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Virginia's 8th the 30th most Democratic district nationally.[13]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.
2020 presidential results in Virginia's 8th based on 2024 district lines | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Biden ![]() |
Donald Trump ![]() | |||
77.4% | 21.3% |
Inside Elections Baselines
- See also: Inside Elections
Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.[14] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.
Inside Elections Baseline for 2024 | ||||
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Democratic Baseline ![]() |
Republican Baseline ![]() |
Difference | ||
74.6 | 24.0 | D+50.6 |
Presidential voting history
- See also: Presidential election in Virginia, 2020
Virginia presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 17 Democratic wins
- 14 Republican wins
Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winning Party | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Virginia's congressional delegation as of May 2024.
Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Virginia | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
Democratic | 2 | 5 | 7 |
Republican | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Vacancies | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Total | 2 | 11 | 13 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Virginia's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.
State executive officials in Virginia, May 2024 | |
---|---|
Office | Officeholder |
Governor | ![]() |
Lieutenant Governor | ![]() |
Secretary of State | ![]() |
Attorney General | ![]() |
State legislature
Virginia State Senate
Party | As of February 2024 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 21 | |
Republican Party | 19 | |
Other | 0 | |
Vacancies | 0 | |
Total | 40 |
Virginia House of Delegates
Party | As of February 2024 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 51 | |
Republican Party | 49 | |
Other | 0 | |
Vacancies | 0 | |
Total | 100 |
Trifecta control
The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.
Virginia Party Control: 1992-2024
Four years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R |
Senate | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D |
House | D | D | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | D |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8
Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. defeated Karina Lipsman and Teddy Fikre in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) ![]() | 73.5 | 197,760 |
![]() | Karina Lipsman (R) ![]() | 24.8 | 66,589 | |
![]() | Teddy Fikre (Independent) ![]() | 1.5 | 4,078 | |
Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 503 |
Total votes: 268,930 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8
Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. defeated Victoria Virasingh in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on June 21, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. ![]() | 77.1 | 39,062 |
![]() | Victoria Virasingh ![]() | 22.9 | 11,583 |
Total votes: 50,645 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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Republican convention
Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8
Karina Lipsman defeated Kezia Tunnell, Jeff Jordan, Heerak Christian Kim, and Monica Carpio in the Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on May 21, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Karina Lipsman (R) ![]() | 61.5 | 440 |
![]() | Kezia Tunnell (R) ![]() | 19.1 | 137 | |
![]() | Jeff Jordan (R) | 15.9 | 114 | |
![]() | Heerak Christian Kim (R) ![]() | 2.4 | 17 | |
![]() | Monica Carpio (R) ![]() | 1.1 | 8 |
Total votes: 716 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2020
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8
Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. defeated Jeff Jordan in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) | 75.8 | 301,454 |
![]() | Jeff Jordan (R) ![]() | 24.0 | 95,365 | |
Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 926 |
Total votes: 397,745 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrew Straw (Independent)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8.
Republican convention
Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8
Jeff Jordan defeated Mark Ellmore in the Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on May 30, 2020.
Candidate | ||
![]() | Mark Ellmore (R) ![]() | |
✔ | ![]() | Jeff Jordan (R) ![]() |
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Heerak Christian Kim (R)
- Mike Webb (R)
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8
Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. defeated Thomas Oh in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) | 76.1 | 247,137 |
![]() | Thomas Oh (R) ![]() | 23.7 | 76,899 | |
Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 712 |
Total votes: 324,748 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mike Webb (Independent)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Thomas Oh advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ A majority in the U.S. House when there are no vacancies is 218 seats.
- ↑ These figures include the seat of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who resigned on Nov. 13, 2024, after winning re-election.
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Six district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Seven district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Five district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Two district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Two district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
- ↑ Inside Elections, "Methodology: Inside Elections’ Baseline by Congressional District," December 8, 2023