Democrat Elaine Luria, a Navy veteran looking to win back a Hampton Roads congressional seat she held from 2019 to 2023, has attacked incumbent Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans for supporting Trump administration policies that have made life more expensive.
Luria is highlighting troubling economic indicators and recent comments by President Donald Trump as she looks to win back her seat representing Virginia’s 2nd Congressional district
On Oct. 26, Luria seized on reporting from The New York Times on mortgage rates climbing past 7% as the latest sign that Republican policies supported by Kiggans are contributing to an ongoing affordability crisis.
“Jen Kiggans votes 100% of the time for Donald Trump’s disastrous economy which has driven up the cost of living for working families across Hampton Roads and made it harder than ever for young people to afford the American Dream,” Luria said in a statement. “We need to make it easier, not harder, for Virginians to start a career, start a family, and secure their retirement.”
Luria also questioned whether Kiggans supports recent comments by President Donald Trump about how much money oil and gas companies are making off the Iran war while people pay more at the pump. The average price for a gallon of gas in Virginia is $4.01, up from $2.86 a year ago, according to AAA.
At an Oct. 24 rally in Perry, Georgia, Trump said that US oil and gas businesses are making hundreds of billions of dollars with oil prices elevated because of the Iran war. The president acknowledged he was warned not to mention that because high oil prices force people struggling with the cost of living to spend more on gas.
“I said, ‘I don’t give a damn. I’m going to say it: We’re making a freaking fortune,’” Trump said.
Luria criticized Trump for failing to deliver on campaign promises to lower prices and end foreign wars, and she criticized Kiggans for going along with Trump’s war in Iran and tariff policies. An analysis by the nonpartisan media organization VoteHub found that Kiggans voted 100% of the time in alignment with Trump’s policies in 2025.
“All they’ve delivered are more wars and higher gas prices for working families — and now they’re bragging about it,” Luria said of Trump and Kiggans in an Oct. 26 statement. “Kiggans has voted 100% of the time with Trump, and Hampton Roads is paying the price.”
Luria has also cited rising inflation as an indication that Republican policies, including the Iran war, are driving up the cost of gas, diesel, and groceries. Inflation rose again in September in a way that’s stretching household budgets, CNBC reported.
“Inflation has nearly wiped out all wage gains since January 2025,” Heather Long, chief economist for Navy Federal Credit Union, posted on social media. “That’s how big of gamechanger the war in Iran has been on Americans’ finances.”
Gas prices are now higher under President Donald Trump than they were under President Joe Biden, according to a CNN report.
Kiggans did not respond to a request for comment.
