District: VA-02
Cook Political Ranking: Toss Up
Performance Voter Index: D+0
Elaine Luria is a former US House Representative who is running to flip Virginia’s 2nd congressional district. Rep. Luria represented Virginia’s 2nd congressional district from 2018 until 2023. During her time in the House, she served on the House Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs Committees and was a member of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack. Additionally, Rep. Luria passed legislation to provide cost-of-living increases for veterans, lower health care and prescription drug costs, and led efforts to get the PACT Act signed to bolster veterans’ access to health care. Rep. Luria flipped this seat blue in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Scott Taylor by 2 points, and she was reelected in 2020 by 6 points. She lost reelection to incumbent Jen Kiggans (R) in 2022by 3 points (10,109 votes). Before Congress, she served in the US Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer and nuclear engineer for 20 years.

Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District is based in the southeastern part of the state and includes the cities of Virginia Beach and Suffolk, as well as most of the Eastern Shore region. In early 2026, Virginia lawmakers and voters approved a mid-decade redistricting plan intended to redraw the state’s congressional districts before the 2030 Census. The proposed map would have made several districts more favorable to Democrats, including the 2nd Congressional District, which would have shifted from a narrowly Democratic-leaning seat to one that leaned more comfortably Democratic. Virginia voters considered a constitutional amendment that would have temporarily allowed the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional districts before the 2030 Census. The amendment narrowly passed in a statewide special election on April 21, 2026, but the Virginia Supreme Court later invalidated the measure on procedural grounds, leaving the existing congressional map in place. As a result, the congressional districts adopted after the 2020 Census—including the current 2nd District remain in use for the 2026 election. This seat is currently held by GOP Rep. Jen Kiggans (R). In 2024, the race for VA-02 saw some outside spending, with Democratic candidate Missy Cotter Smasal raising just over $3 million and Rep. Kiggans raising $6.4 million. In 2026, Rep. Luria is challenging Rep. Kiggans and the DCCC has included her in their Red to Blue program. V4P PAC has not yet endorsed in this race.