This story was reported and written by our media partner the Virginia Mercury.
Democrats see Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District as one of their best chances to flip a Republican seat next year, and six candidates have already launched campaigns to take on U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach — the latest being Dr. Nila Devanath, a hospital physician who announced her bid Tuesday.
The district, anchored in Hampton Roads and stretching across the cities of Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Franklin, parts of Chesapeake and the Eastern Shore, has traded hands several times over the past decade and remains highly competitive.
Kiggans, a former state senator and Navy veteran, flipped the seat from Democrat Elaine Luria in 2022 and narrowly won reelection last year against Missy Cotter Smasal.
But with President Donald Trump back in the White House, Democrats now view her as one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the House — particularly amid the ongoing federal government shutdown that’s hit her military-heavy district hard.
“The 2nd District is probably the second most competitive district in Virginia, after the 7th District in the Fredericksburg area,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington.
“The way the lines are drawn they provide an advantage to a Republican, but not an overwhelming one in a midterm election where opposition to the president is particularly intense. Democrats have an opportunity, and that’s why there’s so many candidates thinking about competing in this race next year.”
A competitive coastal swing seat
The district’s large population of veterans, shipyard workers and federal employees makes it especially sensitive to Washington gridlock.
The seat has swung back and forth repeatedly. Democrat Luria won it in 2018 and 2020 before losing to Kiggans in 2022 by just over three points. That pattern — narrow GOP victories in presidential years and Democratic surges in midterms — keeps the district near the top of both parties’ target lists. The Cook Political Report rates it a toss-up, and national Democrats have already signaled it as a top pickup opportunity.
A physician and former attorney who grew up in Hampton Roads, Devanath became the sixth Democrat to enter the race this week. The daughter of immigrants, she said her campaign is rooted in her experience caring for patients who struggle to access affordable treatment.
“In our hospitals, I see every day what happens when Washington fails to act,” Devanath said in her announcement. “Families wait months for care. Veterans are forced to split their pills in half. Patients with diabetes lose their lives avoiding treatment for something as simple as a small cut because they’re afraid of the medical bills that will follow.”
She added: “Rep. Jen Kiggans and I both swore to care for our patients, but in Washington she’s turned her back on that promise. As a doctor, I can’t stand by while families suffer. I’m running for Congress to fix this broken system for my patients, for our veterans, and for every family who deserves better.”
Before becoming a doctor, Devanath practiced law defending survivors of domestic violence at a legal-aid clinic. She now works as an acute-care physician serving veterans and active-duty families. Her campaign says she will focus on lowering health-care and housing costs, protecting Medicaid and ensuring veterans receive the care they’ve earned.
Five Democrats already in
Devanath joins five other Democrats who have been campaigning for months — Patrick Mosolf, James Osyf, Nicolaus Sleister, Burk Stringfellow and Mike Williamson — each bringing a different background to the race.
Mosolf, a first-time candidate for Congress, is running on a platform of “restoring America’s democracy” and addressing cost-of-living issues ranging from housing to healthcare.
Osyf, a commander in the Navy Reserve and first-generation Ukrainian American, announced his bid in July. He has served aboard the USS Norfolk and works for Lockheed Martin. His campaign emphasizes national security, veterans’ issues and restoring trust in government.
Republicans have criticized Osyf for maintaining a residence in Washington, D.C., roughly three hours from the district, a charge his campaign dismissed as a distraction.
Sleister, a military spouse and community advocate, entered the race in April. He grew up in a working-class family that faced layoffs and frequent moves and later worked in homeland-security and physical-security leadership. Sleister focuses on economic stability and affordability for families.
Stringfellow, a teacher and project manager active in the nonpartisan RepresentUs movement, also filed his paperwork in April. He advocates for government reform, ranked-choice voting and economic justice.
Williamson, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and father of two who now lives in Suffolk, has also entered the Democratic primary in the 2nd District. He served 20 years in the Marines, including six overseas tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and Asia, as well as assignments at the Pentagon and with NATO in Hampton Roads.
Williamson says his mission is to bring service-era discipline and integrity to Congress.
Incumbent under pressure
Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot and nurse practitioner, has portrayed herself as a pragmatic conservative focused on military families and the economy, but Democrats argue her record tells a different story.
Earlier this year, Kiggans voted for a Republican budget package that included deep cuts to Medicaid — reductions that could total $625 billion nationwide over a decade and threaten hospital funding across the state.
Her opponents have also pointed to her votes against renewing Affordable Care Act subsidies without an alternative, which analysts said would raise premiums for roughly 300,000 Virginians.
The ongoing shutdown has added to the political pressure. With thousands of federal workers and contractors in the region facing furloughs, local officials warned of ripple effects on small businesses and defense operations.
Kiggans said she supported a “clean continuing resolution” but also blamed Senate Democrats for stalling broader budget talks.
High stakes for both parties
The 2nd District’s competitiveness gives it outsize importance in the battle for control of the U.S. House. Republicans hold a narrow majority, and both national campaign committees are already targeting the race.
The DCCC has placed Kiggans on its “Red-to-Blue” list of vulnerable incumbents, while the NRCC has moved to defend her seat.
Republican candidates representing districts that are not overwhelmingly Republican have a big challenge when it comes to defending some of Trump’s policies, said Farnsworth, the political scientist.
“In the 2nd District, where there’s a relatively high level of federal employment, the federal government cutbacks and the government shutdown do not particularly endear swing voters to Republicans backing the president,” Farnsworth said.
Whoever wins the June 16, 2026, Democratic primary, will face an incumbent in November of next year with a formidable fundraising network and a message rooted in service — but also a district increasingly restless with partisan brinkmanship.
With the shutdown dragging on and cost-of-living and health care issues dominating local headlines, Democrats are betting that Virginia’s 2nd District — long a weathervane for Hampton Roads politics — might once again shift their way.