GOP takes out Jan. 6 panel member Luria in Virginia

Virginia state Sen. Jen Kiggans (R) is projected to win the race for the Old Dominion’s 2nd Congressional District, defeating incumbent and Jan. 6 panel member Rep. Elaine Luria (D).

The Associated Press called the race at 11:03 p.m.

Luria’s loss is likely to be hailed by former President Trump, who had attacked her in various rallies for GOP candidates as he criticized the panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Kiggans, a U.S. Navy veteran who was first elected to the Virginia state Senate in 2019, largely focused her campaign on economic issues, with inflation at a decades-high level. She also tied Luria to President Biden, who has faced low approval numbers amid the poor economic environment.

Virginia state Sen. Jen Kiggans (R) defeated incumbent Rep. Elaine Luria (D) in a win that will likely be hailed by former President Trump. (Associated Press)

The race was rated a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Trump won the district by just over 3 percentage points in 2016, while Biden in 2020 secured a victory by almost 5 percentage points.

This year’s redistricting, however, made the district more Republican, moving it from an R+2 lean to an R+6 and creating a more difficult environment for Luria to prevail. The new lines also include Suffolk, Va., which has a Black population of 40 percent.

Luria largely focused her campaign on military and veterans issues, tapping into her background, and abortion, which became top of mind for Democrats this summer after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.

She has also warned about the threat to American democracy, leaning into her spot on the Jan. 6 panel.

Luria, a member of the Jan. 6 panel, made the argument about threats to American democracy during her campaign. (Greg Nash)

Kiggans, for her part, avoided answering whether she believes Biden was fairly elected, noting at their final debate that election integrity was top of mind for her, per The Virginian-Pilot.

Luria criticized Kiggans for voting for a $70 million budget amendment that would carry out an audit of the 2020 presidential election vote in the commonwealth. The measure was not approved.