Virginia Beach houses the largest naval base in the country, and on October 31, 2026, it stands at the epicenter of one of the most competitive House races on the electoral map. According to Census data, Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District boasts the third-highest percentage of veterans in the country. That demographic weight is now shaping a neck-and-neck rematch.
Former Navy commander Elaine Luria, a Democrat who served Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District until her 2022 reelection defeat, has launched a campaign to unseat Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans, a nurse practitioner and former Navy helicopter pilot. Over the course of several days, student journalists representing Northwestern University’s Medill News Service conducted interviews with voters at Veterans of Foreign Wars halls and early voting sites throughout the coastal district to understand how military families perceive current politics.
The Local Impact of Overseas Conflict and Federal Leadership
The midterm elections arrive against the backdrop of the unpopular war in Iran, a conflict that has spurred an increase in gas prices and is a topic close to home for many veterans. At the same time, the Pentagon has seen firings and departures of military leaders under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Democrats frequently criticize the defense chief as inept and unqualified, while the MAGA movement praises his aggressive style, his focus on projecting American strength, and his eradicating of diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Those federal friction points divide voters across the district, stretching from Norfolk’s naval infrastructure out to the rural farmland across the Chesapeake Bay. Steve Barbour, a 78-year-old retiree and Marine Corps veteran in Virginia Beach supporting Kiggans, pointed directly to foreign policy pressures. “The main thing I’m concerned about is the situation with Iran. … I may be complaining and I may be poorer because of the cost of gasoline, but at least I’m alive,” Barbour said.
On the other side of the political aisle, Beatrice Luther, a 58-year-old firefighter and Navy veteran from Chesapeake backing Luria, questioned the financial logic of the ongoing overseas engagement. “I’m not for the war. I think that it’s kind of a waste of our money at this time to keep dumping the money in that we’re doing. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over. So, if, indeed, there are nuclear weapons or close, we just can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and just dumping money in like we’re doing,” Luther said.
Economic Pressures and Everyday Costs for Military Families
Beyond foreign policy, bread-and-butter economic anxieties dominate conversations at early voting sites. Rob Wyman, a 58-year-old federal employee and Coast Guard veteran in Virginia Beach supporting Luria, highlighted the squeeze on the next generation. “Fuel prices — just the cost of living in general is ridiculous. I’ve got two kids that are coming out of college, trying to find jobs and trying to find places to live, and they can’t afford it,” Wyman said.
Other voters weigh their personal financial trajectories against the party in power. Steve Carrier, a 63-year-old retiree and Navy veteran in Virginia Beach supporting Kiggans, offered a blunt assessment: “I have a lot of investments, I’ve made a lot of money. I don’t make as much money when a Democrat’s in.”
Meanwhile, concerns over federal programs and institutional integrity animate voters like Mary Bonsby-Brock, a 63-year-old fraud examiner and Army veteran in Chesapeake supporting Luria. “I want to see both the blue tsunami and the red undertow. I want it to be crushing, and I think that one of the things Democrats have to do this time around is go ahead and push for getting rid of Hegseth — he’s a danger to this country, he’s a danger to the world, so let’s impeach him.”
Diverging Views on Veterans’ Services and Congressional Focus
The candidates’ records and approaches to veteran welfare draw starkly different interpretations from the district’s constituents. Jermaine Person, a 64-year-old salesman and Navy veteran from Chesapeake supporting Luria, voiced anxiety over benefit cuts. “I don’t feel like it’s fair for me, as a veteran, to sit down and serve my country, then you turn around and somebody’s cutting my VA stuff,” Person said.
Other veterans remain skeptical of both parties’ promises. James Reid, a 59-year-old historian, Navy veteran, and undecided voter in Virginia Beach, put his standard simply: “If you are going to say you are going to take care of the vets, do it. There is no maybe.”
For some, a candidate’s broader social platform matters just as much as their military background. Jonathan Cardenas, a 51-year-old federal employee and Navy veteran in Virginia Beach supporting Luria, praised her wide lens. “I feel like I shouldn’t just get health care because I’m a veteran. I feel like everyone should have health care. … I like the fact that [Luria] was not just veteran-focused — she’s people-focused, education-focused, women-focused, minority-focused.”
Conversely, supporters of Kiggans argue that political attacks obscure effective representation. Thomas Talmadge, a 47-year-old K-9 handler and Army veteran in Suffolk backing Kiggans, expressed frustration with campaign mudslinging. “Every time I turn the TV on, it’s one candidate bashing another candidate about things they did in their life, past or prior, to try to sway voters. I’m not worried about where they bought a house or what county they lived in,” Talmadge said.
Stephen White, a 74-year-old retiree and Army veteran in Suffolk supporting Kiggans, questioned Luria’s past committee work. “They both talk a good game. I think one of them actually does what she says she’s going to do. You couldn’t prove to me that Elaine Luria actually is for veterans, because she was on [the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs], and I never heard it much from her, except ‘I hate Donald Trump.’”
As the clock ticks down toward election day in this heavily militarized coastal district, voters continue weighing competing visions of national strength, economic stability, and leadership against a backdrop of global uncertainty.
