VA-02: In US House race, former Navy commander targets former SEAL

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Political battle lines are forming in Virginia where a woman who once led a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors wants to capture a Republican congressional seat held by a former Navy SEAL.

National Democrats are backing former Navy commander Elaine Luria in her quest to claim the 2nd District on Virginia's coast — home to the world's largest Navy base. Should she win the June primary, Luria's biggest foe is expected to be 38-year-old incumbent Scott Taylor in November.

The congressman, a former sniper in Iraq, won his first term by nearly 23 percentage points in 2016. Taylor said he's skeptical that anyone who "regurgitates Washington Democrat talking points" can win his district.

But Luria, 42, vows to give voice to voters demanding change in Washington and help calm the "chaos."

The district runs from Virginia's rural Eastern Shore to Virginia Beach, the state's largest city with about 450,000 people. It's home to government contractors and military installations, including the massive Naval Station Norfolk. More than 16 percent of the area's adults — about 87,000 people — are veterans, 2016 Census data indicate.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/in-us-house-race-former-navy-commander-targets-former-seal/ar-AAxKXwk?ocid=st