Former Rep. Elaine Luria, a Democrat, defeated Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) in a rematch for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, flipping a closely contested seat as Democrats seek to reclaim control of the House.
The Associated Press called the race for Luria shorty before midnight Eastern. With roughly 88% of the vote counted, Luria received 51.5% to Kiggans’s 46.2%.
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Luria, a Navy veteran who served in Congress from 2019 to 2023, will return to Washington after making her work on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol a defining part of her political profile. Her victory marks a comeback after losing to Kiggans in 2022.
During the campaign, Luria tied Kiggans to President Donald Trump, arguing that the Republican had failed to deliver on her promise of independent leadership. She also highlighted concerns about healthcare costs and the effects of federal workforce cuts on Virginia families.
Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District includes Virginia Beach and communities across Hampton Roads, where military installations and the defense industry play a central role in the regional economy.
The district has one of the nation’s highest concentrations of military personnel and veterans.
Luria served as a Navy surface warfare officer, while Kiggans flew helicopters in the Navy. Kiggans campaigned on lowering the cost of living, cutting taxes, reducing prescription drug prices, strengthening border security, and supporting veterans. She also emphasized the importance of maintaining a strong military presence in Hampton Roads.
The Republican incumbent enlisted several prominent Trump administration officials to campaign in the district, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.
Kennedy joined Kiggans for a Virginia Beach appearance in the final weeks of the campaign, while Oz also visited the district for an event focused on healthcare access, affordability, and staffing challenges.
Luria made healthcare and government accountability central to her campaign. She criticized rising medical costs and coverage cuts, arguing that families faced mounting financial pressure. She also proposed restricting government officials from using nonpublic information to trade on prediction markets tied to political outcomes or government policy.
The race was a rematch of the 2022 contest, when Kiggans defeated Luria by about 3 percentage points. Democrats targeted the seat as part of their broader effort to retake the House, while Republicans sought to defend a district where national political divisions intersect with concerns about the economy, healthcare, and federal employment.
Both campaigns sought to persuade voters that their candidate would best address those concerns, but they offered different approaches. Kiggans emphasized economic policy and national security, while Luria focused on affordable healthcare and greater accountability in Washington.