Jen Kiggans
Jennifer Ann Kiggans is an American politician, former United States Navy helicopter pilot, and geriatric nurse practitioner serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 2nd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served in the Virginia Senate from 2020 to 2022. Kiggans defeated Democratic incumbent Elaine Luria in the 2022 election and was re-elected in 2024.
Early life and career
Kiggans was born in Tampa, Florida, and graduated from high school in Orlando, Florida. As a high school student, she worked at Walt Disney World. She is an alumna of Boston University. In 1993 and 1994, she taught English in Japan through the JET Programme. She also lived in Japan as a Navy spouse for five years.Kiggans joined the United States Navy in 1993 and was a Navy pilot for ten years, flying H-46 and H-3 helicopters.
After serving in the military, Kiggans attended nursing school at Old Dominion University and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She is an adult geriatric nurse practitioner at Eastern Virginia Medical School and in private practice.
Early political career
In 2019, Kiggans ran for the Virginia Senate for the 7th district, which was being vacated by Republican incumbent Frank Wagner. In the Republican Party primary, Kiggans defeated Virginia Beach School Board member Carolyn Weems, 52% to 48%.In the general election, Kiggans faced Democratic state Delegate Cheryl Turpin. The race was viewed as competitive, as the district had very narrowly favored Democrats in recent statewide elections. Kiggans and Turpin each spent over $500,000 on television advertisements. Kiggans won, 50.4% to 49.5%.
The Washington Post reported that "Her record didn't always fit neatly along a party line." She voted to expand nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people and for environmental protection measures.
In 2022, Kiggans introduced a bill to prohibit transgender girls from playing girls' sports and voted for an audit of the 2020 election.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2022
Kiggans was the Republican nominee for Virginia's 2nd congressional district in the 2022 election. She narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Elaine Luria in the November 2022 general election, 52% to 48%.2024
Kiggans ran for re-election in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District. Her district was considered relatively competitive, and the Cook Political Report rated her district as "lean Republican." Kiggans defeated Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal by a vote of 51% to 47%.Caucus memberships
- Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus
- Republican Main Street Partnership
- Republican Governance Group
Political positions
2020 presidential election
According to The Washington Post, Kiggans "has never beat a 'stolen election' drum", but has hesitated to acknowledge Joe Biden as a legitimate president. She called for a forensic audit of Virginia's 2020 presidential election results; a previous audit of those results found no evidence of fraud. She has said that she does not believe the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago was justified.Abortion
Kiggans supports banning abortions after fifteen weeks of pregnancy, except for in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother. In June 2022, she expressed support for the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade.Veteran's issues
Kiggans opposes cuts to funding in the Military Construction, Veteran Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act and supports improving military housing which she has described as, "in disrepair and unlivable".George Santos
On December 1, 2023, Kiggans voted to expel Representative George Santos, and was the only Republican from Virginia to vote in favor the resolution.Budget and taxes
In May 2025, Kiggans voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.Kiggans is the lead sponsor of a bipartisan effort to pass legislation that would extend health care subsidies, which are set to expire on December 31, 2025, for one year. Politico wrote that "Kiggans has a track record of breaking with her party on some big issues but not tanking legislation to gain leverage."