Republican Jen Kiggans ousted Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria Tuesday in a Virginia House seat viewed as a critical test of strength for the GOP.
Ms. Kiggans, a Virginia state senator, beat Ms. Luria by 52.1% by 47.9%. Virginia’s 2nd district houses all of Virginia Beach and parts of Suffolk and Chesapeake.
Ms. Kiggans is a nurse practitioner and former Navy helicopter pilot.
Ms. Luria, also a Navy veteran, came to Congress in 2019 with a wave of national security-focused Democrats in a bullish year for the party. She was a highly sought-after GOP target.
Ms. Luria sought to paint Ms. Kiggans as a radical on abortion and too extreme to represent the interests of the district.
Ms. Kiggans’ attacks on the incumbent mirrored other Republican candidates’ attacks around the country, hitting her on inflation, the economy, and crime.
In Congress, Ms. Luria also sits on the Jan. 6 committee investigating the 2021 Capitol riot.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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