House - Elaine Luria - VA-2
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- Democrat running for re-election in south-coastal Virginia including Virginia Beach
- Video clip: "Sea Change"
- Video clip: Elaine speaks of her work on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol here
About Elaine
Representative Elaine Luria announced that she is running for re-election at 1:46 p.m. on January 6th, 2022, marking the moment a year before when she evacuated from her Capitol office as the building came under attack. A Navy veteran who sits on the bipartisan House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Elaine stated: "Today, I recommit to uphold my oath to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic’. Our nation is at a crossroads where … we must defend our democracy against forces that seek its destruction. We cannot allow those who seek to destroy our country from within to prevail. We need representatives and leaders who will uphold and strengthen our laws and institutions, not side with those who try to tear them down. The call and courage to serve is not one that I take lightly or without deliberation. I have been honored to serve the people of Coastal Virginia over the past three years. This is our community. I took an oath to serve. And in this critical moment for our democracy, I intend to continue serving.”
Elaine’s announcement came after Virginia's Supreme Court voted to approve the state's new congressional map. Because of redistricting, her race is expected to be one of the closest in the country. So far, five Republicans have lined up to challenge her.
At the first hearing of the Select Committee investigating January 6th, Elaine said: “Our founders understood that the Republic was fragile, and it would be tested. It is a testament to the words those men wrote in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that we have persevered for over 230 years. We will be attacked by people more concerned about their own power, than the good of the country. But my oath, and your oath, to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, will be our guiding light. We will persevere and we will do what is right." Elaine realizes that serving on the committee could be a political liability in her district; she said: “If I don’t get re-elected because of this, that’s OK.”
In September 2019, Elaine and six other freshman House Democrats authored an opinion piece in the Washington Post calling for an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump: “Seven freshman Democrats: These allegations are a threat to all we have sworn to protect”.
In addition to her work on the January 6 Select Committee, Elaine serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she is the committee’s Vice Chair, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where she serves as Chair of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, and the House Committee on Homeland Security. Of all members in the House Democratic Caucus, Elaine served the longest on active duty, having completed 20 years of active military service with the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer and nuclear engineer, deploying six times on destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers. Elaine’s military experience prepared her to help veterans with the many matters affecting them, including healthcare, education, and employment.
Elaine also knows the challenges that small business owners face. After she retired from the U.S. Navy in 2017 with the rank of commander, she started a small business from her kitchen table that has grown to create jobs in her community and support local organizations for youth and the arts. Elaine has dedicated her career in public service to building a safer, stronger, and fairer society for this generation and the next. And she understands what being secure encompasses: “Security means that we are healthy — and have reliable and affordable choices in healthcare. Security means that we must protect our environment — so that we, along with future generations, can breathe fresh air and drink clean water.” Now more than ever, we need Elaine’s experience and perspective as a parent, a veteran, an engineer, and a proven legislator.
Elaine's Republican opponent
Elaine’s Republican opponent, state senator Jennifer Kiggans, has refused to say that Joe Biden is the lawfully-elected president. Kiggans criticized Elaine for serving on the bipartisan Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying “The fact that our current congresswoman is going to focus on Jan. 6 — it’s very telling. She’s not focusing on what’s really important to the voters of the Second District.” Kiggans was one of only four state senate Republicans in Virginia to vote for a $70 million audit of the state’s 2020 election results based on false claims of election fraud; Virginia taxpayers would have been saddled with the massive bill if the audit had been approved. Kiggans abstained from voting on a bipartisan resolution to censure extremist Virginia state senator Amanda Chase, who called the insurrectionist mob that attacked the Capitol “patriots”. Kiggans said ending access to legal abortion was her motivation to run for office; in 2022 she wrote: “I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade”. The National Rifle Association has endorsed Kiggans – she has voted against commonsense gun violence prevention measures like background checks and keeping guns out of the hands of people who are substantial risks to harm themselves and others. Kiggans has a very poor voting record on environmental issues – the Virginia League of Conservation Voters gives her a career score of only 31%.
Endorsements of Elaine
Elaine has co-sponsored bills for teacher loan forgiveness improvement, healthcare fairness, and protecting waterways. She gets laws passed. In 2021, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (a nonpartisan institute based at University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University) named Elaine as one of the 10 most effective Democratic lawmakers in the House. The nonpartisan organization GovTrack found that Elaine wrote the third most laws of all U.S. House members in 2019.
Elaine has been endorsed by Emily’s List for her dedication to working families, and bringing meaningful relief from the COVID-19 crisis to coastal Virginians by providing direct assistance to those who need it most, enhancing vaccine distribution and testing, getting schools open safely, creating jobs, and cutting child poverty nearly in half.
Elaine is rated 100% by Naral Pro Choice, Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, the ACLU, and the AFL-CIO; 95% by the League of Conservation Voters; and 0% by the NRA.
The GOP has targeted VA 02 as a top priority. Elaine needs our help now to win re-election in this swing district.
