A familiar face has entered the field of Democrats who want to challenge Republican U.S. Representative Jen Kiggans in next year’s congressional elections.
Former U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria is the seventh Democrat to enter the field of candidates who want to unseat Kiggans to represent the 2nd House District. The district includes all of the Eastern Shore, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Franklin and Isle of Wight County, as well as parts of Chesapeake and Southampton County.
If Luria makes it through a party primary next year, she will face Kiggans for a second time.
A retired Navy commander, Luria served in Congress from 2019 to 2023. She lost the seat to Kiggans in 2022.
In her campaign announcement, Luria wrote Kiggans has “established a pattern of promising Virginians one thing in public, only to turn around and vote the other way in Washington.”
She pointed specifically to Kiggans’ vote on the Big Beautiful Bill, which cut health care subsidies, despite Kiggans previously saying she could not support a federal budget that “come(s) at the expense of those who depend on these benefits for their health and economic security.”
Luria also noted Kiggans’ votes on clean energy tax credits, though Kiggans expressed concern about some of the provisions in the federal budget related to those credits.
“I cannot sit back and watch as Republicans in Congress create chaos while failing to address the rising cost of living and the issues that matter to Coastal Virginians,” Luria wrote in her campaign announcement.
“Virginians are hungry for change, and I look forward to getting back to work for Hampton Roads to make life more affordable for working families, grow our economy, cut health care costs, and strengthen our military.”
The 2nd District is considered one of the more competitive districts going into the 2026 midterm elections because of how closely Democrats and Republicans finish in the district’s other elections.
In the 2024 presidential election, for example, 49% of voters in the 2nd District voted for Democrat Kamala Harris and 49.2% of voters picked President Donald Trump.
That means it’s not just Luria who sees a chance to take Kiggans’ seat.
Matt Strickler, who served as Virginia’s Secretary of Natural Resources under former Gov. Ralph Northam, launched his campaign for the 2nd District seat in early November.
Other Democratic candidates include Navy veteran James Osyf, Virginia Beach teacher Burk Stringfellow, Norfolk doctor Nila Devanath, security professional Nicolaus Sleister and Patrick Mosolf.
