NORFOLK, Va. — A Chesapeake City Council candidate accused of elder abuse is claiming that State Sen. Jen Kiggans, the Republican vying to unseat Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria in a competitive U.S. House election, still backs her.
In a Facebook post, Amanda Newins, who faces a nearly $900,000 lawsuit and police investigation, listed Kiggans as one of her supporters.
"It doesn’t surprise me that a group of individuals who have worked tireless[ly] against me for the past 7 months and have supported instead a non-Republican candidate, now say they continue to not support me," Newins wrote.
She continued: "I am confident that the people of Chesapeake see this for what it is. It is heartwarming that among others, the following individuals have supported me from the beginning and continue to support me as they believe that I will help lead Chesapeake in the right direction."
The other supporters she listed include former U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes, Chesapeake Mayor Rick West, Vice Mayor John de Triquet, State Sen. John Cosgrove, and Del. Jay Leftwich.
The Democratic Party of Virginia shared a statement Monday evening that criticized Kiggans' claimed support of Newins, seeking to make it an issue in the race in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District.
“As a geriatric nurse, Jen Kiggans should be caring for elderly people, not supporting people who are abusing them,” party spokesperson Gianni Snidle wrote. “It’s clear that there’s no low too low for Jen Kiggans, and that she’ll do anything to win an election – even throw away her oath as a geriatric nurse to support a crook who took advantage of her own family elderly members.”
According to data from the Virginia Public Access Project, Kiggans' state Senate campaign donated $500 to Newins between July 1 to Aug. 31, before the lawsuit was filed on Sept. 9.
13News Now reached out to Kiggans' campaign twice for a comment on the situation, but they didn't respond before this article was published.
