“As a Navy commander, my philosophy was simple: ‘Be Good, Do Good Work.’

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“That’s what most Americans wake up in the morning and try to do– for their family, their career, and the people they care about. Because in America if you work hard and play by the rules, you expect that you and your family will have an opportunity to succeed.

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“But today, too many Americans are working hard and getting less. That’s because politicians in Washington aren’t looking out for them. That’s why I am running for Congress.

“I am running for Congress to fight for the families of coastal Virginia. The core values of Security, Equality, and Prosperity will serve as my compass in representing the people of Virginia’s 2nd District.” (ballotpedia.org)

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EXPERIENCE

Elaine Luria, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, has an impressive background in technology and military science, placing her among the knowledgeable “Security Democrats” who entered in the Congressional Class of 2019. She has a double major in Physics and History from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master’s in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University, and after a 20-year career serving entirely on combat ships, she retired in 2017 with the rank of Commander. Luria has the longest active-duty tenure of any current member of the House Democratic Caucus. She deserves her self-assessment as “all-around badass.” This “badass” Navy veteran is not too tough to have founded Mermaid Factory, a place where you can paint your own mermaid! (A portion of the income from each mermaid is donated to organizations that support youth and the arts.)

 

ON THE ISSUES

• “Reducing America’s reliance on foreign oil, while simultaneously combatting climate change is essential to our national security and protecting our coastal region. This is a threat Congress must address today, particularly in coastal communities that are impacted by seal level rise and recurrent flooding.”

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• “I’ve led the charge to make Coastal Virginia a national and global leader in our clean energy future. For our district this is not a problem of tomorrow, it’s a threat today. I have laid out a bold vision for cutting greenhouse gas emissions while investing in the jobs and infrastructure of the future.” (luria.house.gov)

 

• “I joined the bipartisan effort to require universal background checks for gun purchases or transfers, with commonsense exceptions for gun transfers between immediate family members, and temporary transfers for the purpose of hunting or target shooting. On February 27, 2019, I voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8), which passed the House of Representatives and is pending in the Senate.” (luria.house.gov)

 

• “F” rating from the NRA

 

• 100% rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Emily’s List, Everytown for Gun Safety, League of Women Voters, LGBT Democrats of Virginia

 

• Co-Sponsor of George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

 

• Co-Sponsor of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act

 

VIRGINIA POLITICS

Luria represents the congressional district which includes Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads, and Norfolk. It is heavy with defense-related concerns, including the world’s largest naval base and the highest percentage of retired veterans, both men and women, in the country. Districts with high military populations tend to be conservative, and it took concerted efforts by organizations such as Swing Left, to mobilize Democratic voters and to defeat the incumbent, Republican Scott Taylor, in 2018. Luria again defeated Taylor in 2020, when he was confident of victory in a rematch. Its history as a Republican district and changes to district boundaries following the census may make the seat harder to retain. Virginia has a history of gerrymandering, and the adjacent Congressional district was redrawn, by court order, as recently as 2016.

 

Virginia (02) is a bellwether district in the nation. This seat must absolutely remain in Democratic hands.