Rep. Elaine Luria, a moderate Democrat, is projected to lose her congressional seat in Virginia, in a big win for Republicans and a blow to Democrats who worry about their standing in the state.
Jen A. Kiggans, a Republican state senator, bested Luria in a contest that was polling closely for months. While Luria highlighted her work investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress by a mob supporting former President Donald Trump, Kiggans urged voters to blame Democrats for inflation and cast Luria as close to President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
In truth, Luria has often broken with Pelosi and other members of her party on Capitol Hill since she was first elected in 2018.
Her loss is a troubling sign for Democrats in Virginia, which has become essential to most paths for a Democrat to win the presidency. Republican Glenn Youngkin won the state’s governorship last year and Sen. Tim Kaine (D) could face an uphill reelection battle in 2024. Youngkin frequently campaigned with Kiggans; the two are attempting to project a more moderate image of the GOP than Trump has, but continue to support him and other Republicans who spread lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Both candidates in the race previously served in the Navy, with Luria retiring as a commander and Kiggans working as a helicopter pilot before she left to become a nurse practitioner. The military is a major employer in the area, which is home to Virginia Beach and Norfolk, and Luria has been a firm advocate for defense spending. But redistricting after the 2020 census made the district, Virginia’s 2nd, more conservative. Each party poured millions of dollars into the race.
Often echoing her fellow vulnerable Virginia Democrats, Reps. Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton, Luria pledged to resist Republican attempts at cutting Social Security and Medicare and restricting reproductive rights. Kiggans called herself “100% unapologetically pro-life” and avoided questions about whether she would support a national abortion ban.
Luria’s departure will likely affect the Democratic Party’s ongoing internal debates about foreign policy and ambitious progressive policies. A hawk who has been willing to publicly and privately clash with her colleagues, Luria has urged fewer drastic changes and been a key member of the moderate bloc of House Democrats.