Seventh Democrat enters crowded field in Second District congressional race

Another Democrat – a seventh (!) – has entered the race for the Democratic Party nomination in the Second Congressional District.

At this point, it would probably take less time to tell you who isn’t running for the nomination in the Second, which represents Hampton Roads in Congress.

“The people of Southeastern Virginia know that Washington is not working for them, and they deserve better than what they’re getting from Congress. Senseless cuts to health care and veterans benefits, reckless tariffs and attacks on our allies, and the assault on hardworking civil servants and our democracy are harming families and our economy, and making us weaker and less safe as a country,” said Matt Strickler, a VMI alum whose resume includes stints at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Cabinet of former Gov. Ralph Northam, where he served as the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.

The crowded field in the Second District, currently represented by a MAGA, Jen Kiggans, already includes:

• Nila Devanath, a doctor and lawyer
• Patrick Mosolf, a former advisor and development specialist in USAID
• James Osyf, a commander in the Navy Reserve who works for Lockheed Martin
• Nicolaus Sleister, a military spouse and community advocate
• Burk Stringfellow, a teacher and Navy reservist
• Mike Williamson, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel

I’m hearing rumblings about Elaine Luria, who held the Second District seat for two terms, from 2019-2023, mulling over a run for the seat in the 2026 cycle.

Luria lost her second re-election bid, in the 2022 cycle, to Kiggans, by a 3.4-point margin.

Kiggans, who won in her first re-election bid, in 2024, by a 4.3-point margin over Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal, is certainly vulnerable.

The Second District has a history of flipping back and forth and back again, so a candidate with a record like Kiggans – who, as a state senator, called for a forensic audit of Virginia’s 2020 election results, putting her on the side of the election-deniers, supports a 15-week abortion ban, and earlier this year voted for the Big Ugly Bill that is cutting trillions from healthcare to fund tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires – wow, she’s just teeing it up.

“We need an experienced, independent voice to pump the brakes on Trump’s destructive policies and help build a fairer economy that works for regular people by bringing down prices on everything from housing to groceries. That’s why I’m running for Congress,” Strickler said.