Incumbent Jennifer Kiggans (R) and Missy Cotter Smasal (D) are running in the general election for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District

Incumbent Jennifer Kiggans (R) and Missy Cotter Smasal (D) are running in the general election for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District on November 5, 2024.

The Washington Post’s Meagan Flynn said the district “…is about as middle-of-the-road as they come, full of independents and swing voters, where military service isn’t so much an advantage for candidates as it is a prerequisite.”

Before her election to Congress, Kiggans was a state senator from 2020 to 2022. She earned her bachelor’s degree in international relations from Boston University in 1993. She served in the Navy as a helicopter pilot for 10 years. After her naval service, she used the GI Bill to return to school and became a nurse practitioner.

Smasal earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and her master’s degree in education. She served as a Surface Warfare Officer during the Iraq War and owned a small business for more than a decade. She is the executive director of a non-profit and an adjunct professor.

Kiggans is running on her record, focusing on issues she says voters care about. When asked how she won in 2022 and her re-election strategy, Kiggans said: “I was very careful and made sure I talked about the kitchen table issues… It goes to show you: You try to serve people… and they vote for that.” She has criticized Smasal as a vote for Democratic policies that she said Virginia’s voters would reject. A Kiggans representative said: “Missy Cotter Smasal is an out-of-touch liberal activist… This November, voters in southeast Virginia will once again reject Washington liberals’ failed agenda and reelectJen Kiggans…”

Smasal has made abortion a key campaign issue. In an interview, she said: “In Congress, I would prioritize defending and protecting reproductive rights, abortion access, and health care. I will vote to restore Roe v. Wade. …” Smasal has criticized Kiggans’ abortion stance which she says would affect women veterans: “She’s actually voted to try to prevent women in the military from being able to access reproductive care when they’re stationed in a place that takes away their bodily autonomy.”

NOTUS’s Ryan Hernández said: “The suburban district is near the largest naval station in the country, Naval Station Norfolk. And both Kiggans and Cotter Smasal have Navy experience.” Both candidates have made military issues central to their messaging. Kiggans’ campaign has focused on her record on veterans’ issues: “Jen knows how important it is for our nation to honor its promises to our veterans, which is why she successfully fought to fully fund the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and provide them with their largest-ever budget during her first term in Congress.”

Smasal has criticized Kiggans’ record, saying she has not adequately served the district’s veterans: “Virginia’s veterans deserve a member of Congress who will honor our promises, not ones, like Kiggans, who vote to take away their benefits, threaten military readiness, and use servicemembers as political leverage.” Kiggans has disputed these claims, and a campaign representative said, “Jen Kiggans has kept her promise to restore American strength by supporting our military and Virginia’s families.”

According to the most recent financial reports, Kiggans had raised $4.2 million and spent $1.7 million, and Smasal raised $1.2 million and spent $697,887. To read more about campaign finance information, click here

Independent Robert Reid is also running.

Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District is one of 34 congressional districts with a Republican incumbent or an open seat the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is targeting in 2024. To read about DCCC targeting initiatives, click here. For a complete list of DCCC targeted districts, click here.