Elaine Luria helped investigate Jan. 6 and lost her House seat. Now she's attempting a comeback

WASHINGTON -- A Virginia Democrat who helped analyse the Jan. 6 insurrection astatine the U.S. Capitol is making a comeback bid aft past week’s sweeping predetermination wins arsenic her enactment looks to interruption President Donald Trump’s grip connected national powerfulness successful the 2026 midterms.

Former U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, a subject seasoned who co-presented the Jan. 6 Select Committee’s findings aft Trump’s archetypal term, told The Associated Press she volition question the Democratic information successful Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. Her bid sets up a imaginable rematch with Republican Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, different subject seasoned who ousted her successful 2022.

The Hampton Roads district, racially divers and with a notable subject population, is among the respective twelve nationally that volition find House control. Luria’s candidacy, successful particular, highlights what’s astatine involvement for Democrats’ wide individuality and for Trump successful the last years of his 2nd word successful the White House.

The country, Luria said successful an interview, is “in precise tenuous times” with “a person who I deliberation ... truly is not overmuch of a person astatine each and precise untrustworthy.”

The 50-year-old Naval Academy postgraduate pledged to amended economical opportunities and enactment with anyone connected Capitol Hill. But she offered nary apology for her tendency to clasp Trump accountable. That includes her relation investigating Trump and his supporters, who ransacked the Capitol and tried to assistance the Republican president overturn his 2020 predetermination nonaccomplishment to Democrat Joe Biden.

“People said to maine astatine the time, ‘You mightiness not get reelected,’” said Luria, who doubly voted to impeach Trump and publically elaborate the 187 minutes Trump made nary nationalist connection to halt the riots. “You know, I said, ‘I don’t care,’ essentially. ‘I’m doing the close thing. The American radical request to cognize what happened that day.’”

Trump has said the sentences handed down to his supporters for their actions connected Jan . 6, 2021, were “ridiculous and excessive” and has defended his determination to grant clemency to radical convicted of assaulting constabulary officers during the attack.

As Luria's archetypal legislature campaign did successful 2018, her announcement boosts Democrats who privation center-left candidates to tally successful competitory districts — figures similar her House freshman classmates, Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, who conscionable won gubernatorial races successful Virginia and New Jersey, respectively.

The Democratic Party's expanse successful Virginia, Luria told the AP, “definitely showed enthusiasm and enactment for the policies and the values that I represent.”

She stopped abbreviated of taking sides successful the intraparty tussle betwixt center-left moderates and progressives similar New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a antiauthoritarian socialist.

“The close benignant of illustration for Democrats is idiosyncratic who tin talk to and lucifer the interests of their district,” Luria said, aboriginal adding, “I couldn’t attraction little who the politician of New York City is.”

Asked astir the Senate's Democratic caucus members who voted this week to extremity the national authorities shutdown without guaranteeing an hold of Affordable Care Act benefits, Luria played the question guardant alternatively than acknowledging widespread anger astatine the lawmakers from crossed the Democratic spectrum.

“The information is that determination wouldn’t person been a shutdown” with Democratic majorities, Luria argued. “And we would person perfectly ensured that radical proceed to person the ACA subsidies to marque their wellness attraction affordable.”

Beyond home argumentation differences, Luria’s bid serves arsenic a reminder of however a Democratic House bulk could usage legislature subpoena and investigatory powerfulness with Trump inactive successful office. Trump has continued flouting antiauthoritarian standards successful his 2nd presidency, Luria said, portion breaking his 2024 run promises to cut user costs.

“‘The usurpation of norms is truly — it’s astir similar an understatement,” she said. “Every azygous day, there’s immoderate caller happening arsenic a distraction for the information that the medication is not doing what they told voters they were going to do.”

Noting rising costs for housing, groceries and utilities, Luria argued, “All of those truly are caused by chaos, uncertainty created by this administration, and genuinely by the Republicans successful Congress who person been sitting connected their hands and conscionable pursuing along, waiting for their orders, essentially, from the White House.”

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Barrow reported from Atlanta.