NORFOLK, Va. — Author's note: The video above is about Rep. Elaine Luria's involvement with the Jan. 6 House committee. It aired on July 22.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears are throwing their support behind State Sen. Jen Kiggans for the U.S. House seat in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District.
The two Republican leaders are the latest high-profile endorsements for Kiggans in a competitive race against Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria, who is seeking a third term in office.
Kiggans also has the support of several nationally-known Republicans, including House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, U.S. Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
"Since taking office in January, I’ve had a front-row seat watching her bring fresh and common sense ideas to the Virginia Senate," Earle-Sears said in a news release released Monday morning. "As a nurse practitioner, she brings caring. As a Navy helicopter pilot, she brings laser-focused determination and stays on target as she fights for our conservative values."
Youngkin, who endorsed Kiggans on July 13, praised her as an "incredibly accomplished woman," and "a problem solver."
"Jen will do what’s right for Virginians and our country, working to revitalize our economy, strengthen our military, and improve health care," Youngkin said in a news release. "I’m proud to endorse and support Jen Kiggans, because she has the courage to fight for Virginia families and will deliver real results."
Kiggans thanked Youngkin and Earle-Sears for their endorsements, framing her campaign as the next step following Republican wins in the November 2021 election in Virginia.
"Now again, it's Virginia's chance to lead the nation and play our part in defeating liberal one-party rule in Washington," Kiggans said in response to Youngkin's endorsement.
Kiggans also said she was honored to sit in the Virginia Senate with Earle-Sears at the helm (Virginia's lieutenant governor is the president of the Virginia Senate).
The Cook Political Report is predicting the election to be one of the closest in the November 2022 midterms across the country. The lines of Virginia's 2nd Congressional District were redrawn based on the 2020 U.S. Census, making it more favorable to Republicans.
Democrats are also facing national headwinds amid President Joe Biden's low approval ratings, high gas prices and inflation -- issues that Kiggans is leveraging in her campaign.
Earlier this month, Kiggans shared a tweet criticizing high grocery prices using pictures of herself holding bags of Tostitos corn chips that appear to be bought several months apart.
"Biden inflation is a disaster for hard-working Americans," Kiggans said in the tweet.
Kiggans has also criticized Luria's work with the House Jan. 6 committee, a group of bipartisan lawmakers investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.
"Dems are spending millions of dollars on [the Jan. 6 committee] while Americans are paying record breaking prices for gas & groceries & suffering through 9.1% inflation!" Kiggans said in a tweet.
In response to the endorsements, the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) criticized Kiggans' position on the abortion issue, referring to Youngkin's anti-abortion views.
“After taking the endorsement of Governor Youngkin and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears, Coastal Virginians deserve to know if Jen Kiggans also hopes to make abortion illegal for millions of Virginia women,” DPVA spokesperson Gianni Snidle said. “Kiggans knows her anti-abortion extremism is out of touch with Coastal Virginians and she needs to come clean about just how far she will go to chip away at their right to reproductive health care.”