Victoria Virasingh runs against Rep. Beyer
Victoria Virasingh believes she can bring a fresh perspective to Congress by better representing working-class voters in the highly diverse 8th District.
She is running against Rep. Don Beyer in the Democratic Primary on June 21. Beyer has been in office since January 2015.
The 8th District boundaries have been adjusted due to Virginia’s redistricting process. In one big change, Annandale has moved from the 11th District (Rep. Gerry Connolly) to the 8th.
Virasingh’s family history “is a story so many first-generation immigrants share,” she says. Her mother is from Ecuador, and her father is a Sikh who immigrated to the U.S. from Bangkok, Thailand. Neither parent went to college, and they both worked at low-paying jobs. At one point, during Victoria’s childhood, the family was homeless.
That’s the kind of “lived experience” Virasingh hopes to bring to Congress.
Related story: Annandale/Mason residents affected by redistricting
Virasingh did manage to attain economic success, however. She earned a full-ride scholarship to Stanford University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in international relations and a master’s in Latin American studies. While in college, she learned about the workings of government as an intern for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
After graduating she wanted to work in international development, but accepted a job at Palantir Technologies, a data analytics company, because she felt “technology would play a big role in the way our economy works.”
She also volunteered with Communities In Schools in Arlington, where she spent a lot of time talking to families and “listened to their struggles and what they had gone through.”
Virasingh is concerned that the Republican Party has made broad inroads into local immigrant communities. Nearly half the Latinos in the 8th District voted Republican because “they feel unheard.”
Virasingh believes it takes someone with her background and ability to reach out to them on their level to turn that around. “I would be the first Latina, the first Indian American to run in this district,” she says. She also believes she can draw more young people.
Related story: Ally Dalsimer goes up against Connolly
“It’s important for us to engage, to have people like me in the conversation,” she says. Her message to the immigrant, working-class community is: “The American dream is still alive.”
Virasingh doesn’t think Beyer is doing a bad job in Congress. “This race is not about good vs. bad. It’s about good vs. better. It’s about building a bridge to the future,” she says.
That means looking at how the world of work is changing. When her mother earned minimum wage, as a manicurist, you could support a family on that. Now, it’s impossible to support oneself on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, or even Virginia’s $11.
Virasingh supports raising the federal minimum wage to $18 an hour.
Another issue Virasingh feels strongly about is the need for legislation to prevent companies from selling personal information online.
Because of the “enormous burden” placed on educators, students, and families during the Covid pandemic, Virasingh would push for increased funding for mental health. She also wants to see mental health benefits added to insurance plans.
Affordable housing is another big issue for Virasingh, although she acknowledges the federal role is limited. She supports more opportunities for homeownership and would like to see the federal government provide grants to community land trusts.
Climate change needs to be tackled in a multipronged approach, she says, to include more regulations on waste management and meat processing.
To address immigration reform, she supports creating a pathway for citizenship, extending scholarship funds for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students, and investments in the economies of Central America to promote social mobility.
Virasingh does not support defunding the police, but does support more civilian oversight and more training. “We need to keep communities safe while reimagining policing for the 21st century.”
Women, especially, depend on the police for protection, she says, noting that as a candidate going up against an entrenched incumbent, she faced harassment and “a very alarming threat.”
She predicts early voting – which will be used for the first time in a congressional primary this year – will increase turnout, and thus benefit her campaign. Early voting begins May 6 and ends June 18.
She also feels her strategy of full-time campaigning and meeting with community members and small business owners will help. “That sort of engagement, bringing more people to the table, is the pathway to winning this race.”
Virasingh has vowed to not take any corporate money, so she’s relying on small donations from individuals.
“I’m pro-business. but I don’t believe corporations should be able to directly fund candidates,” she says. “When someone donates to our campaign, they’re giving me a part of their income; they’re entrusting me to be their voice.”
Virasingh also supports term limits. “I want to serve my community for a set time and pass the torch to the next person,” she says.
She asks voters in the 8th District “to take a chance. Cast a vote for your children and the future. Your vote is your voice.”
22 responses to “Victoria Virasingh runs against Rep. Beyer”
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Great! We need fresh leadership in Congress. Don Beyer is significantly to the right of his district politically and we shouldn’t have an old white moderate male representing this diverse region. She has my vote!
Kick him out because he’s white, and since you’re white you can say that and encourage the public to do the same. You, sir, are scum.
Congressman Beyer has served his time; it’s time for new leadership, especially a woman of color, who is representative of this district. I’m voting for Victoria!
Passing the torch to Victoria is the best thing for this district. As a lifelong resident I am shocked at the lack of affordable housing options continuing to rise with no end in sight and the desperate measures people will take to find housing. Things need to change quickly and dramatically or an entire generation and community will be pushed out of their homes.
Wish we were already moved for this primary. Keep moving forward with new faces and action. The old way fails.
Virginia’s Eighth is overdue for diverse, female leadership. I stand with Victoria!
Victoria is a beacon of hope for our community. She pays attention to ALL of Arlington, not just those who hold the top percentage of power and wealth. The people of Arlington are being priced out of the community where they grew up and where they raised their children. They can’t afford the mental health care that they desperately need and deserve. Many of our hardest working community members cannot afford to live off of minimum wage. It is time to see new leadership in Arlington. Truthfully, it is far past time. Those who have been through best know the way out. Born and raised in Arlington— my vote is with Victoria!
In addition to murdering 60 million people, here’s a list of the top 5 countries socialism has lifted people into prosperity:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
We need more leftists???? Gas and food price not high enough for you now?
Rich, don’t worry about any of that. She’s a woman of color. The necessary boxes are checked.
Shouldn’t you guys be on an overpass hootin’ and hollerin’ for the “patriots” protesting gas prices by driving around the Beltway over and over?
The drivers were not protesting gas prices. They were protesting illegal vaccine mandates.
Does it really matter? The protest was stupid, regardless.
Love it! 🙂
Hey, Rich, you don’t earn or deserve respect when you immediately resort to lies and outrageous smears & that’s exactly what every part of your ‘comment’ is. Not 1 of your comments is factual, rational, or logical. Democracy and freedom depends on rational, logical, and tolerant voters.
Um, many countries in Europe, especially Scandinavian ones. Much higher standard of living (parental leave, vacation time, low cost, high quality health care, humane work standards, excellent public transportation, less corruption and way shorter elections in politics, plus they don’t spend billions on campaigns, and way ahead of us ecologically). Russia and North Korea are not socialist BTW.
Throwing out an effective leader because he is white and old is like the Republicans saying a black woman is unqualified for the supreme court. I thought race and age discrimination is illegal. I have followed Congressman Beyer since his election as Lt. Governor. He is a good man and knows how to help people.
As to the “illegal” vaccine mandates they are NOT illegal. I am old enough to remember a world without vaccines but with iron lungs and deaf and dead children from diseases. I consider anyone refusing a vaccine to be an attempted murderer. Your freedom to refuse the vaccine is cancelled by my freedom to live. Also most people who are refusing the vaccine are trying to control women’s’ bodies.
Actually, the vaccines mandates are technically unlawful, under Chevron USA v. NRDC, decided in 1980, as well as under Jacobson v. Massachusetts, decided in 1905. The key issue regarding vaccines is whether they are rationally related to addressing the harm, and we have a long line of abortion cases that have established that as settled law.
On May 7, 2021, the CDC finally conceded that the infectious dose for COVID-19 remains unknown, and since 1870, when Robert Koch, who discovered the bacteria that causes tuberculosis in 1832, developed Koch’s Postulates to validate causation, and in the second postulate we establish the infectious dose. If you do not know the infectious dose, you cannot ascertain the proper correlates of protection, in serological titers, a discoverable quantifiable metric, to develop an effective vaccine. Hence, in contravention to the controlling CFR, the Pfizer COVID-19 countermeasures were approved on the basis of a mere preprint, not even peer reviewed, efficacy test, and not the effectiveness test, a distinctly different concept. That is an abuse of discretion under Chevron, and rejects Jacobson where in the first paragraph Justice Harlan said that no power in government exists without an express delegation.
The unknown infectious dose and unknown secondary attack rate gave rise to a FOIA, currently in litigation, to determine whether these metrics are classified, which they could not be, under Executive Order 12,958, unless the government owns the causative biological agent for COVID-19, and if it is classified, a long line of cases dating back to 1980, by operation of law, would mean that the novel coronavirus would have had to be cultivated in a laboratory, and the government cannot create conditions to enable it to deprive citizens of liberty.
On March 7, 2022, the Supreme Court, in Webb v. Fauci, Record No. 21-6868, decided to pass in an application for prejudgment injunction to compel the White House to respond to the FOIA request, or provide a reason as to why they had not replied since March 23, 2021. This is a presumptive assertion of executive privilege, which the Supreme Court had challenged in U.S. v. Nixon in 1973, during Watergate, and if the U.S. created a pandemic pathogen that killed over six million people worldwide, and kept it a secret, while selling vaccines, that’s a crime against humanity that not even Adolph Hitler tried.
Under the rule in Fletcher v. Rylands, if a defendant brings a condition upon the land, he is strictly liable for all foreseeable damages that accrue, like reparations.
And not even one progressive press has reported this story.
Note: Maj. Mike Webb is a Republican candidate for the 8th District.
“Actually, the vaccines mandates are technically unlawful, under Chevron USA v. NRDC, decided in 1980, as well as under Jacobson v. Massachusetts, decided in 1905.”
Well, actually, per Georgia State University College Law Professor Anthony Kreis: “The Supreme Court already decided in 1905 in Jacobson v. Massachusetts that there is no constitutional right to evade a vaccination mandate calculated to protect the community. This is why we can permissibly have vaccination requirements for children to attend school, for example.”
“And not even one progressive press has reported this story.”
Well, actually, per CNN (one of your non-reporting progressive press sources): That 1905 Supreme Court decision is seen as the most relevant case supporting the legality of vaccine mandates. Even conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch has signaled that he would vote in favor of the Massachusetts vaccine mandate if the Jacobson case was before the court today.
C’mon, MMW – treat us to a little intellectual honesty, OK?
I was reading over a yo summary and comments that people made I decided to vote I was a victim and march of a stabbing in my parking lot here in Falls Church seven corners East Falls apartments this happened early part of March I was in the hospital on life-support thank God I made it through I was out minding my business doing stuff for all the people this young Spanish guy walked up and stabbed me three times I was in the hospital on life-support thank God I’m here today to support you and give you my vote that you will make the seven corner area more safe in the future I will stand by and do all I can do sincerely Kelvin Cornell Johnson I go back to court on August 16 to face the guy who stabbed me for no reason whatsoever and I was his second victim that day here in seven corners looking to make my neighborhood better I’ve been living here for 28 years I refuse to be ran out by anyone I vote arrest people to vote at work at the Willston center to help to pass out ballots and I can’t believe something like this would happen to me I refuse to carry a weapon I wasn’t raised that way I was raised to respect other people and I look for the same I love my community and I would love to see a big change in anyway I can help I’m willing
I suffer PTSD when When are her firetrucks police cars ambulance it takes me for a loop we definitely need more support here in seven corners in Falls Apartments I’ve been here 28 years and I refuse to let a young guy run me from my home I see a psychologist and a psych heavy medicated never thought that anything in life would happen to me like this I do not harm people I help people is the way I was raised back in CulPepper Virginia I was stabbed in my lung my liver in the back of my leg I woke up I was on life-support my family was staying around and I asked them what happened to me did someone hurt me I didn’t hurt anyone what happened and to this day I try to figure out what do I do wrong I’m a caretaker I look out for people is the way I was raised and I just cry and cry and cry because I can’t believe that another human being would actually stab a person and walk away like it was nothing my life was on the line and actually there was two stabbings that day in March I was the second one
Kelvin, I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m glad you’re getting counseling and medication.
I was not the victim of violence, but I have suffered PTSD, and want you to know that there is hope. Please take care of yourself and don’t let this senseless tragedy define the rest of your life; you can heal and find peace again. I wish you well.