Elaine Luria
Former Navy commander and congresswoman, 2026 Democratic nominee for Virginia's 2nd District.
Elaine Luria faces Republican Jen Kiggans on 3 November 2026 in a rematch for Virginia's 2nd congressional district, which Sabato's Crystal Ball moved to Leans Democratic on 29 September. Kiggans took the seat from her in 2022.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026
Timeline for Elaine Luria
Mentioned in: Sabato's 11 moves include Kiggans's seat
US Midterms 2026Background
Luria is trying to win back the seat she lost in 2022, and the ratings have turned her way. Her district was one of three Virginia races among 11 House contests that Sabato's Crystal Ball moved towards Democrats on 29 September 2026, with early voting in the state already under way since 18 September. She won the 4 August primary with about 79% of the vote, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added her to its Red to Blue programme in February 2026.
Luria first won the district in 2018, one of three Republican-held Virginia House seats Democrats took that year, and represented it until 2023. In The House she sat on the committee investigating the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Before Congress she spent 20 years in the US Navy as a nuclear surface warfare officer, retiring as a commander in 2017.