Elaine Luria

In the early-1900s, Luria's great-grandfather helped establish a Reform Jewish congregation in Jasper, and her immediate family joined the Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham.

Luria's mother and grandmother were active in the National Council of Jewish Women (of which her mother was president), Hadassah, the Temple Emanu-El Sisterhood, and the Birmingham Jewish Federation.

Her mother Michelle's family immigrated to Jasper, Alabama, in 1906.

The family sold goods to coal miners in Walker County, Alabama.

She was likely helped by Joe Biden carrying the district; notably, Biden carried Virginia Beach, the first Democrat to do so since 1964.

Luria ran for reelection in 2022.

Facing a difficult path to victory as a Democrat in a competitive district, she focused her campaign on defense policy and refrained from highlighting Biden's $1.5 trillion Build Back Better spending plan, for which she voted.

Luria lost the election to Jen Kiggans.

Elaine Goodman Luria (born August 15, 1975) is an American politician and US Navy veteran who served as the U.S. representative from VA's 2nd congressional district from 2019 to 2023.

Luria's congressional district included most of Hampton Roads, including all of Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, and Poquoson and parts of Norfolk and Hampton.

Before running for Congress, she served as a naval officer for 20 years.

Luria rose to the rank of commander and spent most of her career aboard ship.

Luria was born on August 15, 1975, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Luria graduated from Indian Springs School in 1993.

She graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science (BS), with a double major in physics and history and a minor in French.

In 2000, Luria attended the United States Naval Nuclear Power School.

While serving in the Navy and stationed aboard the flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), she earned a Master of Science (MS) degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University in 2004.

Luria served as a naval officer for 20 years, operating nuclear reactors as an engineer, where she rose to the rank of commander.

Luria was among the first female American sailors to spend her entire career on combat ships.

She commanded Assault Craft Unit TWO, a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors, from 2014 until her retirement in 2017.

She held a Passover seder on an aircraft carrier after 9/11.

She defeated Republican incumbent Scott Taylor in 2018 defeated him again in 2020, before losing her bid for a third term to Republican Jen Kiggans in 2022.

As in 2018, Luria carried six of the district's nine county-level jurisdictions, including all but one independent city.

She was one of 102 female members elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2018, a record number.

She joined two other female veterans in that class, fellow Naval Academy graduate Mikie Sherrill and former Air Force officer Chrissy Houlahan.

Virginia's 2nd congressional district is centered on Hampton Roads.

It includes all of Poquoson, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg cities and York County in Hampton Roads; parts of Norfolk and Hampton cities and James City County in Hampton Roads; and all of Accomack and Northampton counties on the Eastern Shore.

As of 2019, Luria's service was the longest active-duty tenure of any current member of the House Democratic Caucus.

Luria ran for the United States House of Representatives in VA's 2nd congressional district.

In the June 10 Democratic primary, she garnered 62% of the vote, defeating Karen Mallard, who received 38%.

In the general election, Luria defeated Republican incumbent Scott Taylor with 51% of the vote to Taylor's 49%.

She carried six of the district's nine county-level jurisdictions, including all but one of the district's five independent cities.

She also carried Taylor's hometown of Virginia Beach.

Luria ran for reelection.

She defeated Taylor in a rematch with 51% of the vote.

Luria was sworn in on January 3, 2019.

On Veterans Day 2019, Luria released a video announcing her support for an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, which The Washington Post called "an unusual move for a moderate on the cusp of a tough reelection."

During Trump's presidency, Luria voted in line with his stated position 11% of the time.

As of June 2022 she had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 98.2% of the time.

Luria was one of the original members appointed to the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol in 2021.