Yahoo Autos Results: Republican Jen Kiggans defeats incumbent Rep. Elaine Luria in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election
Republican challenger Jen Kiggans defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District.
Kiggans, a state senator, is running in a redrawn district that is more favorable to Republicans.
Luria has attacked Kiggans for cheering the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Democratic incumbent Rep. Elaine Luria was defeated by Republican state Sen. Jennifer Kiggans in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District.
Polls closed in the state at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Virginia 2nd Congressional District candidates
Luria, a Navy veteran, is the prototype candidate Democrats ran in 2018 to harness anti-Trump outrage. Seeking her 3rd term, Luria faced off against a fellow Navy veteran in Kiggans. This was also the first time Luria did not face former Rep. Scott Taylor, who she dispatched again in a 2020 rematch.
Like other Republicans, Kiggans has focused on the economy, while Luria tried to use Kiggans' opposition to abortion rights as a way to target the Republican.
Luria is one of the seven House Democrats that serve on the select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Voting history for Virginia's 2nd Congressional District
Kiggans ran in a coastal Virginia district that favored conservatives more than in the past. Virginia's new bipartisan redistricting commission was unable to put forward a new map, necessitating the state Supreme Court's involvement. The new map resulted in a seat that is viewed as more favorable to Republicans.
Under the old lines, the seat swung from a narrow-Trump district in 2016 to a narrow-Biden win four years later. The new lines took what was about a 5-percentage-point Biden district to a 3-point margin. Luria narrowly unseated Taylor in 2018 before besting him by about 6 points in 2020.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Luria raised $8.7 million, spent $5.8 million, and had $3 million on hand, as of September 30. Her opponent, Kiggans, raised $2.7 million, spent $2.3 million, and had $436,622 remaining, as of September 30.
Through mid-October, super PACs, national party committees, and other non-candidate groups combined to spend about $9 million to advocate for or against candidates in the race, including during the primaries.
What experts say
The race between Luria and Kiggans was rated as a "toss-up" by Inside Elections, a "toss-up" by The Cook Political Report, and a "toss-up" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
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