VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Incumbent U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans won her bid for reelection Wednesday in Virginia's 2nd District race, defeating her Democratic challenger in a victory for Republicans aiming to keep the congressional seat in their battle to control the House, the Associated Press projects.
Democrats had backed candidate Missy Cotter Smasal in hopes of reclaiming Kiggans’ seat after Republicans flipped it in the 2022 midterm election.
“I’m incredibly thankful that Southeast Virginia has once again chosen commonsense conservatism,” Kiggans said in a post on X early Wednesday.
Kiggans, a 53-year-old former Navy helicopter pilot, sought a second term while facing a challenge from Cotter Smasal, 46, who also served as a Navy surface warfare officer.
Differences between Kiggans and Cotter Smasal mostly traced the national fault lines between the two major political parties. In a fiery October debate, the two repeatedly painted each other as ineffectual and supportive of partisan policies that would hurt the coastal district. While Cotter Smasal centered her campaign on abortion access and defending American democracy, Kiggans focused on issues such as the economy and border security.
“Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” Kiggans said at the October debate. “If the answer is no, why would we give Democratic policies, which my opponent would support, another chance? I am running to restore that security we’ve been missing.”
13News Now spoke with Virginia Beach Electoral Board Chairman Jeffrey Marks Wednesday. He said the district's largest city likely won't have certified results until next week, on Wednesday or early Thursday.
"At least as it pertains to Virginia Beach, the numbers are not final," Marks said.
He explained, 5,000 provisional ballots need to be processed by hand, many of which came from voters registering on election day. Marks called the process "arduous."
There also may be mail-in ballots in transit. Marks said it's impossible to know how many the city will receive by this Friday's deadline.
"We don’t know what we’re going to receive between now and Friday," he explained. "It could be 500, could be 5,000, you just don’t know. Those are numbers that could change. From what I understand these elections are close, those numbers could certainly change the election."
On Wednesday afternoon, Cotter Smasal issued a statement conceding the race:
"Today I concede the race for Congress. I’m proud of our campaign that focused on essential freedoms and protecting our Democracy. That work must continue, and I know my supporters will continue to make their voices heard.
"To our voters, I’m sorry that we did not win the day, but I’m so thankful for your hard work and support. I carry your stories and experiences with me every day, and I am grateful for your trust and teamwork throughout this journey. The countless doors we knocked on, the phone calls we made, and our unwavering commitment to truth and justice in the face of extremism are evidence of our resolve and patriotism. I hope that Congresswoman Kiggans will develop the strength to stand up to extremism in her own party and focus on the needs of ALL Coastal Virginians.
"We will always know that we were on the right side of history. Keep the faith and keep up the fight."
The 2nd has traditionally been a swing district, oscillating in recent years between Republicans and Democrats who served in the Navy. For instance, former Navy SEAL Scott Taylor was a Republican who represented the district for one term before being defeated in 2018 by Democrat Elaine Luria, a former Navy commander. Luria served for two terms before she lost to Kiggans in 2022.
