Former Democratic House Member Hopes for a Comeback in Virginia

Former Virginia Rep. Elaine Luria launched a bid on Wednesday for her former seat, saying she was motivated by the “chaos” in Washington.

“It’s a sad state that that’s where we are in politics today,” Luria told NBC News. “I think I’ve always stood up for what was right, even when it wasn’t politically expedient, and I’m going to continue to do that when I come back.”

Luria is one of nearly a dozen former Democratic lawmakers trying to make a 2026 return. She’s hoping to follow up on Virginia Democrats’ success in elections earlier this month — and flip back a seat to House Democrats’ control.

She held the 2nd Congressional District seat for two terms before losing to Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans in 2022.

The seat has gone back and forth between parties: Luria defeated Republican incumbent Scott Taylor in 2018 with 51% of the vote to Taylor’s 46.5%.

During her time in Congress, Luria served on the Jan. 6 committee investigating the Capitol insurrection, House Armed Services committee and spoke out against congressional stock trading bans

Kiggans, also a Navy veteran, bested Luria in 2022 with 52.1% of the vote to Luria’s 47.9%, which was among the most competitive House races that year.

Luria told NBC News that Kiggans has been too focused on toeing the Republican Party line.

“It’s one thing to just go out there and pretend that you’re caring more across the aisle, but I was voted one of the most bipartisan members of Congress because I have a track record of working across the aisle, especially on veterans and military issues,” Luria said.

Kiggans did not respond to a request for comment.

Democratic candidate Mike Williamson withdrew from the race after Luria’s announcement on Wednesday, offering her his endorsement. In his statement, Williamson encouraged other Democrats in the race to “end your campaigns, stand down with purpose and unite behind Elaine Luria.”

“Virginia’s 2nd District does not need fragmentation. It needs clarity,” the statement continued. “It does not need a crowded ballot. It needs a united front for principled leadership and a decisive end to Jen Kiggans’ tenure in office.”

James Osyf, the only other Democratic candidate left in the race, said he had no plans of stepping back.

“I’m in this race because we need a new generation of patriotic leaders who are tired of the corruption, tired of incrementalism, and not afraid to be bold,” he said in a statement Tuesday after Politico reported that Luria planned to run. “Yesterday’s establishment got us into this mess; they’re not going to get us out of it. 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.”

Virginia Democrats are coming off of a historic election season. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s race by nearly 15 percentage points — the biggest margin in a governor’s race in the state this century. Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi is set to be the state’s first Indian and Muslim woman elected into office and Democrat Jay Jones won the attorney general’s race despite a text message scandal.

At the state level, Democrats in Virginia added at least 10 seats to their majority, expanding their control in both chambers of the state’s legislature.

Both chambers of the state legislature approved a constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature to redraw the state’s congressional seats in favor of Democrats in 2026. The proposal must undergo another vote early next year in order to go before voters.

Luria said she supports state Democrats’ redistricting efforts, saying in order to “move forward with all of the things that we think are important for our communities and for people across Virginia, in order to do that, you’ve got to get into the fight.”

“You can’t just stand by,” she added.