Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal clashed over the economy, abortion and payday lending Friday during a debate in which each said the other lacked the spine to stand up to their own party leaders.
The 2nd District, anchored in Virginia Beach, has been a longtime battleground. Kiggans won it by defeating Democratic congresswoman Elaine Luria in a close race in 2022. Luria had defeated a Republican incumbent four years before that.
The race is one of only two expected to be competitive this year in Virginia; the other is the 7th District seat in the Fredericksburg area being vacated by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D), who is running for governor next year.
Kiggans leads Cotter Smasal by 5 points, according to a September poll by Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Civic Leadership. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report counts the contest as among those that “lean Republican.”
