Equality Arlington Grades 2026 8th Congressional District General Election Candidates
Equality Arlington sent the four candidates running for the Virginia 8th District of the U.S. House of Representatives in the November 2026 General Election a questionnaire with four questions about issues and policies impacting the LGBTQ+ community in Arlington, Virginia. We received responses from two of the four candidates. The Board of Directors evaluated the candidates’ responses and provided grades for the candidates based on how well their responses demonstrate an understanding of the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and how their proposed actions or inaction would impact the LGBTQ+ community. We have also published the unedited responses of each of the candidates below.
Early voting began Friday, September 18th and continues through Saturday, October 31st. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd (polls open 6am-7pm). For more information about voting, please go to Elections – Arlington County VA Voting and Elections (arlingtonva.gov).
Donald Beyer: A
Don Beyer, a Democrat running for Congress, received an A rating for his record and specific commitments on LGBTQ+ rights. Beyer is a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, has voted for it twice, and pledged to make its passage a priority next Congress. He has also opposed anti-LGBTQ+ provisions in defense authorization bills and plans to introduce legislation protecting federal employees from politically motivated firings as well as legislation limiting the administration’s ability to withhold federal funds. These protections would benefit LGBTQ+ federal workers and students in Arlington Public Schools. If reelected, we look forward to Beyer continuing to defend LGBTQ+ constituents, and we encourage him to lead on reinstating transgender service members and protecting access to gender-affirming care.
Shelly Arnoldi: F
Shelly Arnoldi, a Libertarian running for Congress, received an F rating because the candidate did not express support for any legislation that would protect the rights of LGBTQ+ constituents. She opposes federal laws that would “compel people to… hire, associate, or conduct business in ways that violate their conscience,” which would leave LGBTQ+ people without federal protection from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. She also states that she does not believe “a child should ever be transitioned to another gender.” If Arnoldi is elected, we hope she will reexamine her views on the federal government’s role in civil rights enforcement given the hundreds of years of brutal discrimination that LGBTQ+ individuals and other historically marginalized groups have faced.
Tim Sharman: F
Tim Sharman, an Independent running for Congress, received an F rating because the candidate declined to respond to the questionnaire.
Tony Sabio: F
Tony Sabio, a Republican running for Congress, received an F rating because the candidate failed to respond to the questionnaire despite three attempts to contact the candidate.
Candidate Questionnaire & Responses
Question 1 – Do you support passage of the Equality Act which would prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity? Would you co-sponsor the bill?
Shelly Arnoldi (Libertarian) - I do not believe the federal government should make laws or rules that remove free will or compel people to speak, act, hire, associate, or conduct business in ways that violate their conscience. The law should protect every person’s natural rights, dignity, and equal standing before the law while remaining consistent with the moral principles reflected in the Ten Commandments. For that reason, I would not support federal legislation that expands government control over private decisions, religious liberty, speech, or free association. My commitment is first to the Constitution of the United States, and I will always support and defend the liberties it guarantees, including speech, religion, conscience, association, due process, equal protection, and the right to pursue honest work. Instead, I would support laws that prevent force, fraud, violence, and theft, while abolishing unnecessary licensing schemes, mandates, and tax burdens that hinder free trade, the right to work, and the ability of people to live peacefully.
Donald Beyer (Democrat) - Yes, I am a cosponsor of the Equality Act, have voted for its passage in the House twice, and it would be a priority for me that Democrats move it immediately next Congress.
Tony Sabio (Republican) - Candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Tim Sharman (Independent) - Candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Question 2 – The Trump administration has rolled back protections for individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, and healthcare. What will you do as a member of Congress to reinstate or expand protections for LGBTQ+ people across the country?
Shelly Arnoldi (Libertarian) - As a member of Congress, I would protect individual liberty for all Americans rather than expanding federal power over private life. I believe government should not create special rules that divide people into categories or force one person to surrender conscience, speech, property, or livelihood to another person’s demand. Federal policy should be limited to protecting people from actual harm—such as violence, threats, fraud, theft, or unlawful coercion—while leaving peaceful citizens free to live, work, worship, speak, and associate according to their beliefs. In every vote, I would measure federal action against the Constitution and uphold my duty to support and defend it against laws that exceed the proper limits of government. I would work to repeal federal rules that impose unnecessary licenses, compliance burdens, or taxes that restrict free trade and make it harder for people to support themselves and their families.
Donald Beyer (Democrat) - These are the exact problems that the Equality Act was designed to solve. It’s why we can’t rely on a benevolent administration to issue rulemaking to protect the LGBTQ+ Community. We must codify it.
I will also be introducing legislation that will insulate the Merit Systems Protection Board from political tampering like we saw from this Trump Administration so that federal employees will always have an avenue for successful redress from unlawful firings.
Tony Sabio (Republican) - Candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Tim Sharman (Independent) - Candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Question 3 – The Trump administration has fired and forced out of work thousands of federal employees in the DC metro area. Thousands of federal consultants and contractors have lost their jobs as their contracts have been terminated. The administration has also discharged all openly transgender service members from the military. Thousands of LGBTQ+ individuals have lost their livelihoods and are struggling to find impactful and financially stable work. What will you do as a member of Congress to support LGBTQ+ individuals looking to serve their country?
Shelly Arnoldi (Libertarian) - I believe anyone who is qualified and willing to serve the country should be considered on the basis of merit, ability, conduct, readiness, and commitment to the mission. Government should not impose ideological tests, and it should not use employment, contracts, or military service to punish people for lawful beliefs or identity. At the same time, federal service must remain mission-focused, fiscally responsible, and accountable to the people. I took an oath to defend the Constitution in public service, and that commitment would continue in Congress by protecting due process, equal treatment under the law, free conscience, and the right of Americans to serve without unconstitutional government overreach. I would support eliminating unnecessary barriers to work and service, including excessive licensing, contracting rules, mandates, and tax burdens that prevent capable Americans from earning a living or serving their country. My goal would be to protect free will, fair opportunity, and the right to work without expanding the federal government’s power over private conscience or free association.
Donald Beyer (Democrat) - In addition to the Equality Act, and MSPB bill that will I shortly introduce, I have also led two other initiatives, the PREP and the REHIRE Act to help unfairly removed feds. The PREP Act would reform probationary periods for new and promoted feds to ensure that probationary periods can’t be weaponized again to fire qualified federal employees. And the REHIRE Act would place a hiring preference for unlawfully RIF’d feds. I have also specifically joined efforts to push back on anti-LGBTQ riders on the Defense Authorization bills to push back on these attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals in the military. Losing capable qualified service members because of this discrimination is beyond terrible and a disservice to our country.
Tony Sabio (Republican) - Candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Tim Sharman (Independent) - Candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Question 4 – Last year, the Trump administration weaponized Title IX against transgender and nonbinary students. The administration tried to force Arlington Public Schools to discriminate against transgender and nonbinary students or risk losing federal funding. This legal battle is ongoing. What will you do as a member of Congress to protect transgender and nonbinary students from discrimination?
Shelly Arnoldi (Libertarian) - I believe education decisions should be made as close to families and local communities as possible, with parents informed and involved. I do not believe a child should ever be transitioned to another gender. Children should be protected while they are minors so that they have the time, maturity, and legal adulthood needed to make life-changing decisions for themselves. I also believe children should not be placed on a medical path that could permanently affect their fertility or future ability to decide whether they want to have children as adults. The federal government should not use Title IX or federal funding threats to force local schools into policies that override free will, parental rights, privacy, conscience, or local accountability. Every student should be protected from bullying, violence, and harassment, and schools should maintain orderly, respectful learning environments for all students. These decisions must also remain faithful to the Constitution, which I will always support and defend, especially when federal power threatens the rights of parents, students, teachers, and local communities. In Congress, I would oppose federal mandates that compel schools, teachers, parents, or students to affirm beliefs against their conscience, and I would support returning authority to families, local school boards, and communities while ensuring that basic protections against actual harm are enforced fairly.
Donald Beyer (Democrat) - The Equality Act, which I consponsor, addresses this by including sexual orientation and gender identity as things you can’t discriminate for in education or federal funding.
But I will also add that we learned that this administration has pursued a number of ways to withhold and weaponize funding and that we need stronger mechanisms to limit this violation of the will of Congress for petty and dangerous partisan games. I will soon have legislation that modifies the Impoundment Control Act to allow for civil suits, so that affected parties have an easier pathway for redress, as well as a mechanism to allow Members of Congress to force a vote on the House bringing its own civil suit to enforce its Constitutional power of the purse.
Tony Sabio (Republican) - Candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Tim Sharman (Independent) - Candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
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Click here to view the PDF candidate grades and responses