About the Race
This election shares a ballot with the US Presidential election held on November 3, 2020. Incumbent Congresswoman Elaine Luria (D), a US Navy veteran, faces Scott Taylor (R), a former Navy SEAL who previously held the seat from 2017 to 2019.
About the District
Virginia’s 2nd District covers a large portion of Hampton Roads, including the entirety of the cities of Virginia Beach and Williamsburg and parts of Norfolk and Hampton. It also encompasses all of Accomack, Northampton, and York counties. The district has changed hands several times since 2008 at all levels and is considered one of Virginia’s most competitive congressional districts. Luria won the seat by 2.5% in 2018, a margin of just over 6000 votes.
Recommendation
Democratic incumbent Representative Elaine Luria is seeking re-election in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. A 20-year Navy veteran, Luria was first elected to represent the 2nd District in 2018. As a Naval officer, she served in the Iraq War and was deployed to Japan, the Middle East, Mediterranean Sea, and the western Pacific. She is married with one daughter. Luria retired from the Navy in 2017 and started a small business called The Mermaid Factory in Virginia Beach.
Luria serves on the Veterans’ Affairs and Armed Services committees in the House of Representatives. Most of the legislation she filed during her term focuses on veterans’ affairs. In 2019, Luria voted for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restored key sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act legislation.
She supports abortion access and believes the federal government should continue to fund Planned Parenthood. She supports closing the gender wage gap by implementing equal pay and taking action to combat maternal mortality in the U.S.
Luria voted to expand the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to cover more families during the coronavirus pandemic and believes that no one should be denied health insurance for having a pre-existing condition. She also condemned the Trump administration for attempting to dismantle the ACA and called on the Justice Department to reverse its position in a lawsuit meant to repeal the ACA. She called on the government to regulate prescription drug costs and to increase funding for mental health services.
As Representative from the district where the 2019 Virginia Beach shooting occurred, Luria voted to implement universal background checks and voted for the Keep Americans Safe Act, which would ban the sale of high-capacity magazines. She supported passing red flag laws that would keep guns out of the wrong hands and banning assault rifles.
Luria voted for the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and give more than 100,000 workers in her district a raise. She advocated for protections for small businesses, fisheries, and agricultural industries in coronavirus pandemic relief packages. Luria co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2019 to close the gender wage gap. She voted to impeach Donald Trump in 2019.
Luria is facing a challenge from former Congressman Scott Taylor, who represented the 2nd District from 2017-2019. During his term, Taylor voted in line with President Trump to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to give the richest one percent and wealthy corporations tax breaks. A staffer from his 2018 re-election campaign was found guilty of election fraud for forging voter signatures.
Independent candidate David Foster is also challenging Luria. Foster opposes abortion rights and wants to cut taxes. Foster wants to prohibit sanctuary cities and supports Trump’s border wall. Foster also believes that a photo I.D. should be required for voting. He has published conspiracy theories on his website and believes that a lot of our healthcare problems could be solved by legalizing marijuana.
Due to Taylor’s staunch support of Trump and his attacks on healthcare and Foster’s opposition to a person’s right to decide when, how and whether to have children, Luria is the most progressive choice for the 2nd Congressional District in Virginia.
About the Race
This election shares a ballot with the US Presidential election held on November 3, 2020. Incumbent Congresswoman Elaine Luria (D), a US Navy veteran, faces Scott Taylor (R), a former Navy SEAL who previously held the seat from 2017 to 2019.
About the District
Virginia’s 2nd District covers a large portion of Hampton Roads, including the entirety of the cities of Virginia Beach and Williamsburg and parts of Norfolk and Hampton. It also encompasses all of Accomack, Northampton, and York counties. The district has changed hands several times since 2008 at all levels and is considered one of Virginia’s most competitive congressional districts. Luria won the seat by 2.5% in 2018, a margin of just over 6000 votes.
Recommendation
Democratic incumbent Representative Elaine Luria is seeking re-election in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. A 20-year Navy veteran, Luria was first elected to represent the 2nd District in 2018. As a Naval officer, she served in the Iraq War and was deployed to Japan, the Middle East, Mediterranean Sea, and the western Pacific. She is married with one daughter. Luria retired from the Navy in 2017 and started a small business called The Mermaid Factory in Virginia Beach.
Luria serves on the Veterans’ Affairs and Armed Services committees in the House of Representatives. Most of the legislation she filed during her term focuses on veterans’ affairs. In 2019, Luria voted for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restored key sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act legislation.
She supports abortion access and believes the federal government should continue to fund Planned Parenthood. She supports closing the gender wage gap by implementing equal pay and taking action to combat maternal mortality in the U.S.
Luria voted to expand the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to cover more families during the coronavirus pandemic and believes that no one should be denied health insurance for having a pre-existing condition. She also condemned the Trump administration for attempting to dismantle the ACA and called on the Justice Department to reverse its position in a lawsuit meant to repeal the ACA. She called on the government to regulate prescription drug costs and to increase funding for mental health services.
As Representative from the district where the 2019 Virginia Beach shooting occurred, Luria voted to implement universal background checks and voted for the Keep Americans Safe Act, which would ban the sale of high-capacity magazines. She supported passing red flag laws that would keep guns out of the wrong hands and banning assault rifles.
Luria voted for the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and give more than 100,000 workers in her district a raise. She advocated for protections for small businesses, fisheries, and agricultural industries in coronavirus pandemic relief packages. Luria co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2019 to close the gender wage gap. She voted to impeach Donald Trump in 2019.
Luria is facing a challenge from former Congressman Scott Taylor, who represented the 2nd District from 2017-2019. During his term, Taylor voted in line with President Trump to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to give the richest one percent and wealthy corporations tax breaks. A staffer from his 2018 re-election campaign was found guilty of election fraud for forging voter signatures.
Independent candidate David Foster is also challenging Luria. Foster opposes abortion rights and wants to cut taxes. Foster wants to prohibit sanctuary cities and supports Trump’s border wall. Foster also believes that a photo I.D. should be required for voting. He has published conspiracy theories on his website and believes that a lot of our healthcare problems could be solved by legalizing marijuana.
Due to Taylor’s staunch support of Trump and his attacks on healthcare and Foster’s opposition to a person’s right to decide when, how and whether to have children, Luria is the most progressive choice for the 2nd Congressional District in Virginia.