Virginia voters in one Republican-held district backed Democrat Abigail Spanberger by seven points in 2025.
There are two high-profile races in Virginia this fall that will help determine which political party controls the US House of Representatives.
First is the race to represent Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District in Hampton Roads.
The 2nd District, anchored by Virginia Beach, is represented by Republican Jen Kiggans. Kiggans, a US Navy veteran and nurse practitioner, served in the Virginia Senate from 2020 to 2022. She’s served in Congress since 2023.
Kiggans will face Democrat Elaine Luria, whom Kiggans defeated in 2022 to flip the seat for Republicans. Luria held the seat from 2019 to 2023.
Luria, who is also a US Navy veteran, served as the vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee and as a member of the committees on Homeland Security and Veterans’ Affairs. Luria also served as a member of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.
Voters in this Republican-held district backed Democrat Abigail Spanberger by seven points in 2025. This congressional district is the only one in Virginia listed by the Cook Political Report as a toss up.
And Cook has only one other Virginia race listed as leaning one way, as opposed to being likely or solid for one party: Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. Cook rates it as leaning Republican, and Democrats have targeted it as one they hope to flip.
Voters in this Republican-held district backed Spanberger with 51% of the vote in 2025.
Republican US Rep. Rob Wittman has represented the 1st District since 2007. He served in Virginia’s House of Delegates from 2006 to 2007. Wittman serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Natural Resources.
Wittman is being challenged by Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, a Democrat. Taylor “pioneered programs to support victims of human trafficking, created a task force to tackle the opioid epidemic, and worked alongside law enforcement to get illegal guns off the streets,” according to her campaign site.
