Virginia Navy Families Weigh Iran War And Gas Prices In Tight House Race

For 18 years, the winner of Virginia's 2nd Congressional District has determined which party controls the House of Representatives. Next week, voters in the district, which contains the largest concentration of Navy families in the country, will decide if that pattern holds.

The ongoing war with Iran has put military service at the center of the campaign. At least 15 Navy ships remain in the Middle East, and more are en route. The USS Gerald R. Ford recently returned to Norfolk after setting a record for the longest carrier deployment. Locals describe the toll on personnel and their families. Rena Ritter, whose husband Isaiah Wells serves as an engineer, said lengthy deployments have left him with little sleep and erratic eating habits.

Terraza Brooks, whose son serves on one of the ships in the region, noted he missed family milestones like his brother's graduation and prom. Although she said her vote is not solely about the deployment, she cited high gas prices as a factor affecting everyone. "Those gas prices are high," Brooks said at the Black Food Festival in Virginia Beach.

Candidates Elaine Luria and Jen Kiggans campaigned at the same festival. Luria, a retired Navy officer and incumbent Democrat, argued that Republicans are failing to ask tough questions about the war. She cited a lack of oversight and accountability for military leadership regarding readiness and national defense.

Kiggans, a nurse practitioner and former Navy pilot, brought Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to a local college event days before the festival. Addressing supply shortages on ships in the Middle East, Kiggans said she wants to do the best with current resources but acknowledged that supply chains in conflict zones are tricky. Her staff cut off a follow-up question about how the war impacts her campaign.

According to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project, approximately $20 million has been spent in the general election, split evenly between the two candidates. Despite the large military population, targeting these voters is difficult because many do not vote where they are based. Strained supply lines and mail delays can hold up absentee ballots. Sarah Streyder of the Secure Families Initiative said the top complaint from voters this cycle is still waiting for their ballots to arrive.

With the election less than a week away, Streyder urges military families not to give up on voting.