Former Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), who was an outspoken voice in support of Israel and against antisemitism during her time in the House, announced a bid on Wednesday to reclaim the congressional seat she lost in 2022. 

In her announcement, Luria said that she “cannot sit back and watch as Republicans in Congress create chaos while failing to address the rising cost of living and the issues that matter to Coastal Virginians,” highlighting a focus on affordability, economic growth, lowering healthcare costs and supporting the military.

“Service to our country means putting the interests of the people above all else–including political parties,” Luria added, accusing Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA), her GOP opponent, of placing loyalty to Trump and the Republican Party over her constituents.

Luria, a military veteran, represented a swing seat in the Tidewater region of Virginia with a large military population from 2018 to 2022, when she lost her seat to Kiggans. Kiggans, like Luria, served in the Navy.  

Democratic Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger carried the perennial swing district in her election last week and possible Democratic redistricting efforts in the state would make the district more favorable to Democrats, giving them a stronger chance of flipping it in next year’s midterms.

Luria, who is Jewish, was a leading moderate voice in the House in support of Israel and against antisemitism, at times criticizing members of her own party and breaking with the Biden administration on its Israel policy.

She was one of the relatively few House Democrats who consistently opposed efforts by the Biden administration to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, arguing that any deal must permanently prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon. She repeatedly led groups of House Democrats to speak out in opposition to deals that were reportedly in formation.

During Israel’s 2021 conflict with Hamas in Gaza, Luria organized and led a group of pro-Israel House Democrats to speak on the House floor in support of Israel and its military operations, responding to a competing effort by far-left Democrats in opposition.

Luria’s first speech on the House floor after her election in 2019 was responding to antisemitic comments by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN). Throughout her term, she continued to call out Democratic colleagues who engaged in antisemitism, as well as Democratic leadership and members of her party for not taking a stronger and clearer stance on the issue.

She also accused some Democratic colleagues of believing that Israel does not have a right to exist, and she helped lead efforts pushing back on the United Nations’ targeting of Israel.

Luria, during her time in Congress, expressed a willingness to support actions by the first Trump administration that she agreed with, including attending the signing ceremonies for President Donald Trump’s executive order on campus antisemitism and the Abraham Accords.

Luria, the former vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee, also served on the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, acknowledging at the time she joined that it might cost her her seat in the House.

Several other Democrats candidates have already declared campaigns against Kiggans, including James Osyf, a Lockheed Martin employee and Navy reservist, and Mike Williamson, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel. As of the end of September, Osyf had raised $383,000 and Williamson had raised $229,000.

Osyf said in a statement that he does not plan to drop out, saying, “this moment demands new leaders who know democracy is at a breaking point and are ready to fight for it. … I’m in this race because we need a new generation of patriotic leaders who are tired of the corruption, tired of incrementalism, and not afraid to be bold.”

The final lines in the district remain uncertain, but Kyle Kondik, the managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said that Democrats will likely aim to make the district “significantly more Democratic,” though the district is already “certainly a very viable Democratic target, without new lines.”

The district is bordered by Virginia’s 3rd and 4th congressional districts, held by Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Jennifer McClellan (D-VA). Both of those seats are “landslide Democratic districts,” and redistricting could shift some of those voters into the 2nd District.

Given her profile from having represented the seat previously, Kondik said that Luria will likely enter the race as the front-runner. The entry by a “quality recruit and a proven recruit” like Luria into the race is also a sign of Democratic confidence, he said.

He added that if the district is redrawn to be more safely Democratic, the moderate Luria could face a wider field of primary challengers, potentially some from her left, though he said she would still enter the race as the favorite.