Part One: “I’m Not Afraid To Stand Up For What’s Right.” – An Interview with Elaine Luria

By Terrance Afer-Anderson
Special to the New Journal and Guide

As a seasoned playwright, I’ve learned the merits of being an eyes wide-open student of human character. It has often afforded me the occasion to take notice of those blessed with distinctive, inherent strength. Such was the occasion in 2018 when I first met Congresswoman Elaine Luria.

I instantly recognized there was something quite extraordinary about this exceptional woman. The hallmarks of her energized commitment to serve Virginia, and U.S. citizens, were made plainly evident in her resolve, dedication, purpose and fortitude. She reaffirmed such when we chatted anew recently, advising, “I’m not afraid to stand up for what’s right.”

Having learned of her current campaign to regain the 2nd District Congressional seat she lost to sitting Congresswoman Jen Kiggans in 2022, I wanted to explore the clear-eyed vision that so impressed me during our initial meeting.

I was reminded that, at age 17, Elaine Luria began attending the U.S. Naval Academy. She had visited there during a summer program held for high school students. “I was very impressed,” she said, “the idea of people who were at my age, that were literally in their first year of college, were so motivated and had such a bigger purpose of serving and leading.”

When she graduated in 1997, with dual Bachelor of Science degrees, in Physics and History, she was amongst only a small group of female midshipmen.

Being in such a minority became a constant theme in her military career. Luria recalled, “When I went to my first ship, I was in the first group of women to integrate that ship.” The ship was the USS O’Brien (DD-975), a destroyer based in Japan.

“Throughout my time in the Navy,” she added, “I served in a lot of environments where there was about a 1 to 10 ratio of women to men. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to serve and to serve on combatant ships.” She noted that, while she was a student at the Academy, the Combat Exclusion Policy was lifted. It was a U.S. Armed Forces directive prohibiting women from being assigned to combat units.

“I feel like the military has been, and I would like for it to continue to be, a place where everyone has the same opportunity.”

I sought affirmation of a further, perhaps natural progression, how the military had led to her Virginia residency. 

“The Navy brought me here originally,” she affirmed. “The second ship I served on was the USS Harry S. Truman.” The aircraft carrier’s maiden deployment, with then Lieutenant Luria onboard, was out of Norfolk, Virginia, on November 28, 2000. Luria smiled broadly and noted, “I really have called this home ever since.”

We had come to a point in our chat when it was time to transition to particularly pertinent discourse, her decision to seek anew the highly visible congressional seat that had afforded her such a powerful, influential voice, providing even greater service to the country and the citizenry in which she is so conspicuously enamored. As we shifted our focus, she made the comparison to military and civil service plain and simple.

“We think of the military as a meritocracy. Everyone performs to a certain standard and they advance based off their performance and their merits.” Yet, she added, “I am worried for women in the military today … minorities … people of color.” She shared she is gravely concerned about “seeing people at the top getting fired indiscriminately.”

Of her twenty-year Naval career she observed, “When I talk about my time in the Navy, it’s not really about those technical things. It’s not about the engineering. It’s not about the weapons systems. It’s about the people!

“One of the main reasons for going to Congress was the opportunity to continue to serve, to continue to help people in our community.” She felt the 2nd District Representative at the time, Republican Scott Taylor, was missing the mark. With a look of exasperation as much defined by disbelief as discontent, she recalled, “He had gone to Washington… said he was going to do all of these things, work across the aisle, make life better for people in our community.”

Luria’s posture bristled a bit. “He went to Washington,” she lamented, “and tried to cut the Affordable Care Act and a long list of other things that were the exact opposite of what he said.”

Referencing her motivation to seek office again, she sadly noted that, under the current 2nd District Representative, Republican Congresswoman Kiggans, the circumstances are frightfully familiar.

“Here I am again today in a very similar situation, where we have an incumbent … who herself is a  healthcare provider … and she’s gone to Washington … voted 100 percent of the time with Trump; voted for the  one ‘Big Beautiful … (Ugly) … Bill,’ the one that guts Medicaid and has these onerous work requirements; did not vote to extend the ACA premium subsidies; and voted multiple times to keep Trump’s tariffs, which  are costing every household in the country an additional $1,700 a year.”

Elaine Luria also noted, “Kiggans has said she steadfastly, 100%, supported the war in Iran, which we know not only put our service members in harm’s way and cost the lives of 13 American servicemen, but also cost every American 50% more for gas and other necessities.”

There was a profoundly unsettling and historic time when Elaine Luria, serving as the former Democratic 2nd District Representative bore witness to the great political disparity impacting the country. The date was January 6, 2021, when some 2,000-plus insurrectionists violently assailed the U.S. Capitol to impede approval of the Electoral College vote, certifying the election of Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. as the 46th President of the United States.

… Part 2: To Be Continued