The 2026 midterms are shaping up to be one of the most interesting election cycles in modern U.S. history. Democrats are currently favored to take back the House of Representatives, and Republicans are currently favored to hold on to the Senate.
While Democrats are favored to win the House, there is a deep blue district in Virginia that a Republican hopes to win. His name is Tony Sabio.
Sabio, who served as a combat veteran, Secret Service agent, and in the C.I.A., is running for the 8th congressional district of Virginia and is trying to unseat six-term Democratic incumbent Don Beyer. He is the presumptive Republican nominee.
A candidate forum for the 8th congressional district was held. The event was hosted at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Beyer, Sabio, and four other candidates challenging Beyer in the Democratic primary were in attendance.
The conversation started with the housing crisis in America, as there is a shortage of affordable homes for millions of Americans.
Beyer believes that President Trump’s tariffs are driving up the cost of housing:
“I’m leading the fight against the tariffs. Tariffs on steel, aluminum, and wood have driven up the cost of housing.”
Sabio wants to push for the development of more starter homes for younger Americans and a tax credit for service workers:
“We need supply. We need affordable homes. Starter homes, we don’t have enough of them. We also need to look at having a tax credit for our police, firefighters, and medical personnel.”
Beyer and Sabio had differing views on the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. The bill passed the House but has come to a halt in the Senate.
“We gotta stop the SAVE Act. It would take away the voting rights of many married women. Only 40% of Americans have passports,” Beyer told the audience.
Sabio expressed support for the SAVE Act and highlighted the importance of fair and safe elections. Six years after the fraudulent 2020 presidential election, this is still a topic of discussion.
“80% of Americans want safe elections. They want safe and transparent elections. I don’t think this is a controversial issue,” Sabio then told the audience.
The discussion then became more controversial, shifting towards the debate of tactics used by ICE agents to deport illegal immigrants. Some have even claimed that ICE is brutalizing American citizens and committing human rights abuses.
Beyer called ICE “deeply and fatally broken” and called for ICE to be abolished. Sabio argues that ICE should go through fundamental changes, rather than be abolished entirely. He then argues that it’s the responsibility of Congress to bring changes to ICE.
The forum ended with each candidate having the opportunity to share their own closing remarks with the audience and the American people.
Beyer ended by highlighting his long career in public service and expressing gratitude for his position in Congress.
“I love being your member of Congress. I love having the chance to get up every day. Read the newspaper, listen to the podcast, talk to other people, and do everything I can to be a change, to make things different and better,” Beyer told the audience.
Sabio finished off with a message that promoted unity and expressed his willingness to listen to the constituents of the 8th district.
“I don’t have all the answers, but I’m willing to listen. through listening, I’ll have a dialogue with you and learn,” Sabio said to the audience.
“This is not about Democrats and Republicans; this is about America and the American people.”
Beyer believes he should be reelected to a seventh term because he thinks he’s “on the right side of every issue.” He then points to his tenure in Congress, which has lasted over a decade.
Rep. @DonBeyerVA on why he believes he should win another term as the Congressman from Virginia’s 8th Congressional District. @gatewaypundit pic.twitter.com/VCMyMlFHV8
— Myles Morell (@MorellMedia) July 10, 2026
“After 11 and a half years, I’ve accumulated enough seniority to make a difference. Relationships aren’t built overnight. Trust is not earned overnight. You have to invest in it day after day after day,” Beyer told TGP in an exclusive interview.
“I have a very good team, an enormous legislative agenda, and I’m eager to take the majority and make things happen.”
Beyer must defeat Lorena Bruner, Michael Duffin, Adam Dunigan, and Mo Seifeldein in the Democratic primary before he faces Sabio in the general election.
Sabio has focused his messaging on unifying the constituents of the 8th district in what he calls a “big tent.” He refers to himself as a “Reagan Conservative.”
Presumptive Republican nominee for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, @tony_sabio is confident that his race is winnable and that he can defeat Democratic incumbent, @DonBeyerVA.@gatewaypundit pic.twitter.com/qPlAt1cEUX
— Myles Morell (@MorellMedia) July 10, 2026
“80% of America is sitting right here in the center, really just cares about everyday issues. Lower your utility bills, have more money in your pockets, and also make sure your neighbors are safe. And this is an easy thing, common sense,” Sabio told TGP in an exclusive interview.
Sabio believes that with the right mindset, he can win in this deep blue district and is courting Democrat voters to support his campaign:
“I spoke with Democrats, and they actually like my platform, and the fact that I’m willing to talk with them, willing to listen to them, willing to take on some of their ideas and say, ‘Hey, those are good ideas. I want to put that on my website and help me frame this: that is what is gonna win here,” Sabio told TGP.
“We look at an uphill battle and say that a Republican cannot win here. You can, as long as you have the mindset of trying to unite people, talk with people, and really focus on common sense.”
Sabio finished off by giving negative feedback on the candidate forum, calling the issues that were talked about at the forum “non-common-sense issues.”
“We need to get back to the root of uniting our country, making laws that are rooted in common sense.”
Virginia primary elections take place on August 4, 2026, and the general election takes place on November 3, 2026.
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