Former Virginia Rep. Elaine Luria is launching a comeback bid, with the Democrat announcing Wednesday that she will seek the 2nd District seat she previously held for two terms. “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 said in a statement declaring her challenge to second-term Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans, who defeated her three years ago. Luria's move comes a week after Virginia Democrats had a strong election night, with former Rep. Abigail Spanberger winning the governor’s race and the party expanding its majority in the state House of Delegates. In her announcement, Luria indicated her campaign would echo Spanberger’s focus on affordability. “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,” she said. A 20-year Navy veteran, Luria was first elected to Congress in 2018 as part of a group of Democratic women with national security backgrounds -- including Spanberger and New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill -- who helped their party win control of the House that year. Luria narrowly unseated Republican Scott Taylor in the coastal 2nd District, which has a large military and defense contracting presence, and won a rematch by a wider margin two years later. In the House, Luria was considered a moderate and was known to sometimes break with her party. She was one of 14 House Democrats who in 2020 opposed a pandemic relief measure known as the Heroes Act, which later stalled in the Republican-led Senate. She served on the Armed Services, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs committees, as well as the panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. She opposed a ban on members of Congress trading stocks, which continues to be a debate on Capitol Hill. After the district lines were redrawn following the 2020 census, Luria lost her bid for a third term to Kiggans, also a Navy veteran, by 3 points. Kiggans, who defeated Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal by 4 points last year, is a top target for Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the 2nd District race a Toss-up. There is some uncertainty about the contours of district heading into the midterms as states across the country pursue mid-decade efforts to redraw their House maps. Democrats in the Virginia legislature have begun a process that could lead to amending the commonwealth's constitution to bypass its redistricting commission and redraw its congressional lines. If successful, the 2nd District could be drawn more favorably for Democrats. Luria's announcement Monday had an early impact on the Democratic primary, with Marine veteran Mike Williamson saying he was ending his campaign and backing the former congresswoman. He urged other Democrats in the race to do so as well. "Virginia's 2nd District does not need fragmentation," Williamson said in a statement. "It needs clarity. It does not need a crowded ballot. It needs a united front of principled leadership and a decisive end to Jen Kiggans' tenure in office." Others already in the race include Navy veteran James Osyf, physician Nila Devanath and former Virginia Cabinet secretary Matt Strickler. Osyf signaled in a statement that Luria's entry wouldn't prompt him to leave the race. “Yesterday’s establishment got us into this mess; they’re not going to get us out of it,” he said. “This moment demands new leaders who know democracy is at a breaking point and are ready to fight for it – regardless of which way the political winds are blowing.” Republicans, meanwhile, anticipate the eventual Democratic nominee will have to contend with a primary before facing Kiggans. “Retread loser Elaine Luria remains an out of touch liberal who rubber-stamped Biden's destructive cost-raising, open borders agenda," Reilly Richardson, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement. "If Luria moves even further left than she already is to win a messy Democrat primary, she'll have the honor of conceding to Jen Kiggans twice."
