Former Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria launches bid for her old seat in Virginia

Former Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., a member of the Jan. 6 committee who lost re-election in 2022, is launching a bid for her old congressional seat.

Former Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., a member of the Jan. 6 committee who lost re-election in 2022, is launching a bid for her old congressional seat against GOP Rep. Jennifer Kiggans.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News announcing her plans, Luria said the “chaos” in Washington compelled her to run again for the battleground district.

“I’ve watched the chaos here in Washington — really, it’s a do-nothing Republican Congress, and they haven’t even been to work for about 50 days,” Luria said. “I said to myself, this is the time for me to continue to serve in that capacity and go back to being representative for Virginia’s 2nd District again.”

Luria will likely face several opponents in the Democratic primary before the general election in what is expected to be one of the most competitive seats in the 2026 midterms, when control of the House is up for grabs. President Donald Trump barely carried the 2nd District — which runs up and down the state’s coast and is centered around Norfolk and Virginia Beach — in 2024 as Kiggans won a second term by less than 4 points.

A former naval officer, Luria is particularly interested in issues related to veterans in a district with a major military presence. She said she is concerned about the Trump administration’s aggressive use of military intervention in places like South America without congressional approval and believes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not up to the job.