VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Speaker of the House Mike Johnson traveled to Virginia Beach Monday to campaign for Rep. Jen Kiggans as both parties focus on Virginia's 2nd Congressional District ahead of the November election.
Johnson made remarks to reporters following a private fundraiser at the Cavalier hotel, calling the district a top priority for Republicans.
"I mean it when I tell you there are none more important than Virginia's second," Johnson said.
Kiggans is facing a rematch against Democrat Elaine Luria, a former congresswoman who held the seat before Kiggans defeated her in 2022. The Crystal Ball at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia currently rates the race as a toss-up.
Johnson acknowledged the race could be close.
"We want to demonstrate to the people of Virginia how important this race is. Virginia's second congressional district will determine the state of the country because this will be a close election," Johnson said.
WATCH: Speaker Johnson to campaign for Kiggans in competitive VA-2 race
Kiggans also addressed the timeline ahead.
"We have 78 days to go until election day and the fight for Virginia's second congressional district and this is not a new fight but it's a fight between craziness and commonsense," Kiggans said.
In response to Johnson's visit, Luria said the two were meeting with wealthy donors and that "working Virginians are seeing their gas and grocery bills skyrocket, their friends and family members in uniform sent to fight in another foreign war, and their healthcare taken away to pay for tax cuts for billionaires..."
When News 3 asked Johnson what he would say to voters in the district about staying on the current trajectory amid conflict with Iran and high gas prices, he pointed to what he described as a coming shift.
"The Iran conflict has been the cause of course of gas prices going up. It's drug on," Johnson said.
"I believe we'll be getting into a new phase of that that will be calming gas prices down to planet earth and that will also bring down grocery prices," Johnson said.
WATCH: Luria, Kiggans officially set for rematch in Virginia's 2nd District
Luria has previously said she should return to Washington as a check on the Trump administration.
"We need somebody who's going to go up there and stand up to this. We truly need less corruption in Washington and more affordability here in Hampton Roads," Luria told News 3 on Aug. 4.
Election Day is Nov. 3. Early voting begins Sept. 18.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
