VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Hampton Roads Chamber is about to host a debate for the candidates vying for the hotly-contested U.S. House seat in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District.
The Democratic incumbent, Rep. Elaine Luria, will face Republican challenger, State Sen. Jen Kiggans, at the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Wednesday. The debate takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tickets to attend cost $50 for chamber members and $90 for prospective members. 13News Now will stream the debate here and on 13News Now+, and provide live updates online.
The meeting comes less than a month before the Nov. 8 Election Day as Luria and Kiggans compete in what many political forecasters consider to be a tossup race.
The November election is the first since the redistricting process made VA-02 more favorable to Republicans. It's now comprised of the cities of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Franklin, along with Southampton, Isle of Wight, Northampton, and Accomack counties.
On the campaign trail, Luria has focused on abortion, veterans issues, and her work on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Kiggans has focused on inflation, economic issues, and President Joe Biden's low approval ratings.
Luria has sought to paint Kiggans as an "extremist" on the abortion issue, while Kiggans has tried to tie Luria to Biden's economic agenda.
In late August, Luria's campaign proposed the Oct. 12 debate, along with a meeting at a Smithfield forum on Oct. 17 and a televised debate on Oct. 25.
Kiggans' campaign agreed to the first two debates, but she said the proposed Oct. 25 event was too close to Election Day, suggesting that voters wouldn't be able to hear from them before voting.
"Virginians deserve to hear from us before they head to [the] polls! So let’s get one on the books before early voting starts. Or will you be too busy with Nancy Pelosi to show up?" she wrote on Twitter.
