Virginia’s 2nd District to see rematch between Kiggans, Luria

Virginia’s highly competitive 2nd Congressional District will see a rematch in November. 

Former Democratic congresswoman Elaine Luria won her party’s primary on Tuesday, CBS News projects, and will face GOP Rep. Jen Kiggans in the general election. Luria beat three other candidates to win the nomination. 

Luria, who held the seat for two terms, lost to Kiggans in 2022 after redistricting made the area more favorable to Republicans. 

The military-heavy district — which includes Virginia’s Eastern Shore and Virginia Beach — has flipped parties four times since 2008. In 2021, it voted for Republican Glenn Youngkin for governor, then supported Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger four years later. The district voted for former President Joe Biden in 2020 but for President Trump in 2024. 

Democrats tried earlier this year to redraw the state’s congressional districts to be more friendly to their party in all but one district, but the voter-approved measure was struck down by the state Supreme Court, leaving the old district boundaries in place. 

The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics rates the race a toss-up. 

Luria, 20-year Navy veteran, was first elected to Congress in 2018. She was part of a group of Democratic women with national security backgrounds who helped their party win back control of the House after eight years of a Republican majority. 

Kiggans is also a Navy veteran, serving as a helicopter pilot for a decade.