WASHINGTON (AP) – Virginia Democratic lawmaker who cooperated with investigation January 6th riot The U.S. Congress is seeking a comeback after last week’s election. overwhelming victory in the election The party is seeking to break President Donald Trump’s grip on federal power in the 2026 midterm elections.
Co-presenter: Veteran and former U.S. Congresswoman Elaine Luria Findings of the Special Committee on January 6th He told The Associated Press that he will seek the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District after Trump’s first term ends. Her candidacy raises the possibility of a rematch with Republican Rep. Jennifer Quiggans, also a veteran. kicked her out In 2022.
Hampton Roads, a racially diverse district with a large military population, is one of dozens across the country that determines control of the House of Representatives. Mr. Luria’s candidacy in particular highlights the identity of the Democratic Party as a whole and what is at stake for Mr. Trump in the final years of his second term in the White House.
Luria said in an interview that the country is “in a very unstable period” and that “the leadership…is actually not very good at all as a leader and I think is very untrustworthy.”
The 50-year-old Naval Academy graduate vowed to improve economic opportunities and work with everyone on Capitol Hill. But she did not apologize for her desire to hold President Trump accountable. This includes her role investigating Mr. Trump and his supporters. looted the parliament building And he sought to help the Republican president overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
“At the time, people said to me, ‘You might not get re-elected,'” Luria said. He twice voted to impeach Trump and publicly detailed that Trump made no public statement to stop the riot for 187 minutes. “You know, I basically said, ‘I don’t care.’ ‘I’m doing the right thing. The American people need to know what happened that day.'”
President Trump said the following is the verdict handed down on his supporters for their actions on January 1st: He called his comments on June 6, 2021 “ridiculous and excessive” and defended his decision to: grant pardon to those convicted of assaulting police officers during raids.
as Luria’s first parliamentary election campaign Her announcements in 2018 gave a boost to Democrats hoping to run center-left candidates like her freshman classmate in the House of Representatives in battleground districts. abigail spanberger and Mikie Sherrillwho just won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively.
Luria told The Associated Press that Democrats’ landslide victory in Virginia “clearly demonstrated passion and support for the policies and values that I represent.”
She did not take sides in the party’s internal battle between center-left moderates and progressives like New York City Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani, a democratic socialist.
“The ideal person for a Democratic Party is someone who can speak out and align with the interests of his or her constituency,” Luria said, later adding, “I don’t really care who the mayor of New York is.”
He was asked about members of the Senate Democratic Caucus. I voted this week end federal government shutdown without guaranteeing an extension. Benefits of the Affordable Care ActLuria proceeded with the question rather than acknowledge it. spreading anger He criticized lawmakers across the Democratic spectrum.
Luria argued that if Democrats had held a majority, “effectively there would have been no government shutdown.” “And we would have absolutely ensured that people would continue to receive ACA subsidies to receive affordable health care.”
Beyond domestic policy differences, Mr. Luria’s bid is a reminder of how the Democratic House majority may use Congress’ subpoena and investigative powers while President Trump is still in office. Luria said Trump continues to ignore democratic standards even after taking office for a second term, but he is breaking his 2024 campaign promise. reduce consumer costs.
“‘Violation of norms is actually almost an understatement,'” she said. “Every day something new happens to distract from the fact that the administration is not doing what it set out to do for the voters.”
“All of that is actually caused by the chaos and uncertainty that this administration has created, and it’s actually caused by Republicans in Congress who are basically waiting for orders from the White House and just sitting around and doing their thing,” Luria said, referring to rising housing, food and utility costs.
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Barrow reported from Atlanta.
