NORFOLK, Va. — In the home stretch of the 2022 elections, the candidates vying for the hotly-contested U.S. House seat in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District are closing the race with some big names.
The Democratic incumbent, U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, and her Republican challenger, State Sen. Jen Kiggans, have brought high-profile surrogates to the district to stump for them.
Luria, who is seeking a third term, spent Saturday with Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark Warner campaigning in Virginia Beach, Suffolk and Chesapeake.
The events in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake were canvass launches, where Luria encouraged supporters and volunteers to get out the vote, a typical campaign effort aimed at increasing voter turnout. The Suffolk event was a fish fry to highlight the final day of early voting in Virginia.
A spokesperson for Luria said supporters also held canvass launches of their own to encourage people to take advantage of early voting's last day.
In a statement sent to 13News Now after Saturday's events, Luria said her campaign is leaving "leaving no stone unturned as we sprint through the finish line on Tuesday."
“The energy and excitement on the ground is real, and it was wonderful to see so many voters, volunteers, and supporters, including Sen. Warner, taking part in our weekend of action," Luria wrote. "We will continue to carry this momentum into Tuesday, and I also look forward to winning.”
Several days before, Luria hit the campaign trail with Virginia U.S. Tim Kaine and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries from New York's 8th District.
"She’s a hard worker and effective leader for Virginia’s 2nd district," Kaine wrote in a tweet. "Virginians need her to keep fighting for them."
On the other side, Kiggans has recently campaigned several times with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the first Republican to win the state's Executive Mansion since 2009. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares joined the two for an event in Suffolk Thursday.
The biggest figure to campaign for Kiggans yet is former Vice President Mike Pence, who quietly attended a phone bank in Virginia Beach on her behalf.
Kiggans announced Saturday she will hold a get-out-the-vote rally in Virginia Beach Monday night.
Youngkin, Miyares, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are expected to attend.
13News Now reached out to Kiggans' campaign for more details on her plans before Election Day but didn't hear back before this article was published.
Luria and Kiggans' home stretch campaigning comes amid a tight House race in Virginia's 2nd District with no clear advantage on either side.
A recent poll from Christopher Newport University showed Luria and Kiggans deadlocked at 45%. Down to the wire, political forecasters, including Sabato's Crystal Ball at the UVA Center for Politics, continue to rank the election as a tossup.
During the campaign, both Luria and Kiggans had to introduce themselves to voters that aren't as familiar with them.
While Luria has served Virginia's 2nd District since 2019, redistricting added several new areas to the district. For Kiggans, she's had to establish herself beyond the lines of her Virginia Senate district, which covers an area of Virginia Beach.
The district is comprised of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk and Franklin, along with Southampton, Isle of Wight, Northampton and Accomack Counties. Because the district no longer includes parts of the heavily Democratic Norfolk, it's considered to be more favorable to Republicans.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. For more information about voting, check out 13News Now's 2022 Midterm Election Voter Guide.
