Candidate Profile: Jen Kiggans (U.S. House of Representatives, VA District 2)

Biography: Congresswoman Jen Kiggans is a former Navy helicopter pilot, proud Navy wife to her husband and retired F/A-18 pilot Steve, and mom to four incredible kids who motivate her to fight for a strong, safe, and secure community, Commonwealth, and country.

Jen served her country as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy for ten years, flying H-46 and H-3 helicopters and completing two deployments to the Persian Gulf.

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Jen used her GI Bill benefits to go back to school and become a board-certified Adult-Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. She has worked in several long-term care and nursing facilities in Virginia Beach and Norfolk in addition to serving as a primary care provider for a small private practice in Virginia Beach.

After years of dissatisfaction with the state of American politics, particularly the divisiveness and partisan rhetoric regarding issues affecting all Americans, Jen decided to run for office for the first time in 2019. She served three sessions in the Virginia State Senate, taking her experience of working with a team to accomplish a singular mission to Richmond. During her time in the State Senate, she successfully championed legislation to promote election security, establish a Military Spouse Liaison, and advocated for patients, families, and caregivers in long-term care facilities.

While serving in the Virginia State Senate, Jen observed the growing problems in Washington and decided to get off her couch and do something about it, launching her campaign for one of the most competitive House races in the country. She went on to flip Virginia’s Second Congressional District and help secure a Republican majority in Congress.

In Congress, Jen serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Committee on Natural Resources, and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where she chairs the Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations. On each of these committees, she works on issues important to southeast Virginia every day.

During her successful first term in office she has returned more than $1.5M to Southeast Virginians, brought in nearly $14M of funding for community projects, had 2 bills passed by the House, introduced 12 bills, and cosponsored 138 bills.

Why are you running for this office?

I’m running for reelection to continue providing Virginians with the bold, independent leadership they deserve in Washington. As a former Navy helicopter pilot, Navy wife, geriatric nurse practitioner, and mom, I pride myself on always putting the mission first and working as a team to get things done, regardless of differences of opinion. It’s why I was recently named the 19th most bipartisan member of Congress out of 435 members of the U.S. House and why I always put the needs of Virginia’s 2nd District above all else in Washington. I’m incredibly proud that during my first term I’ve returned more than $1.5M to Southeast Virginians, brought in more than $16.7M of funding for community projects, and had 4 bills passed by the House… and I’m just getting started!

Getting our country back on the right track and securing America’s success for future generations requires commonsense leadership from our elected leaders, which is something I strive to exhibit every single day. Representing VA-02 in Congress is truly the honor of a lifetime and a responsibility that I do not take lightly.

What are your thoughts on the direction of the country?

Like two-thirds of the American people, I believe our country is headed in the wrong direction. Years of irresponsible spending from both sides of the aisle have made life unaffordable for any families in southeast Virginia and across the country. The Biden-Harris Administration’s willful ignorance of national security has led us to a border crisis at home and repeated demonstrations if weakness on the world stage, starting with the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Burdensome and costly regulations have made owning and operating a small business incredibly difficult. It is possible to reverse course and get our great nation back on the right track, but to do so we need to elect commonsense leaders who are focused on the issues that Americans care about, not partisan politics.

Are you backing a presidential candidate and if so why are they fit to run for office?

I’m supporting President Trump and his policies this November. As a veteran, I know firsthand how important strong, competent leadership is to the success of any team. Under President Trump we had a booming economy, commonsense border security policies, and a world that respected American strength as a deterrent. In contrast, under the Biden-Harris Administration, we have an economy that Americans can’t afford to live in, a southern border that’s seen nearly 8 million illegal immigrant encounters since 2021, and a world that grows more dangerous by the day. The difference over the past four years couldn’t be clearer; the Biden-Harris Administration has proved they’re either unable or unwilling to provide the strong leadership that our nation needs. It’s clear that our country needs new leadership and a new direction.

What are your top 2 or 3 priorities if you’re elected/reelected?

Lowering the cost of living, improving national security, and securing America’s future. The American people are tired of partisan rhetoric and empty promises that do nothing to improve their lives. My priorities are the same as most Americans’: affordable gas and groceries, safe communities, and a country that continues to provide future generations a strong America on the world stage, the promise of opportunity, and the ability to be whatever they want to be. It’s why I refuse to play Washington’s political games and, instead, solely focus on passing legislation that positively impacts VA-02 and our nation as a whole.

How should Congress address the issue of immigration?

It’s no secret that our immigration system needs a massive overhaul; however, our immediate priority needs to be our southern border. Under the Biden-Harris Administration there have been nearly 8 million illegal immigrant encounters at our southern border, including more than 350 people on the terrorist watchlist. Fentanyl and other contraband have flown into our country and devastated communities across the country. The cartels have enriched themselves through human trafficking, drug smuggling, and all other kinds of illicit activities that affect vulnerable populations both inside and outside of our country. There is no reason we should allow this national security and humanitarian crisis to continue, which is why I proudly supported the strongest border security bill in Congressional history during my first six months in office. We must secure our border by both enforcing existing laws and passing stronger policies before we can address improving our broken immigration system.

How should Congress address climate change?

As the Representative for coastal Virginia, member of the House Natural Resources Committee, and Vice Chair of the Conservative Climate Caucus, I fight every day to protect the beach, the bay, and our intercoastal waterways so future generations can continue to benefit from the economic and environmental benefits that our beautiful Commonwealth provides. I firmly believe that it is possible to pass commonsense, conservation-focused policies that protect our environment while also allowing our energy producers to responsibly harness the power of American energy. That’s why I introduced the BEACH Act, which further prevents federal tax dollars from being used to develop storm prone, ecologically sensitive coastal areas. It’s also why I’m proud to support clean energy tax credits, which incentivize our businesses to employ an “all of the above” approach to energy rather than imposing burdensome regulations, which raise costs and heavily contribute to making life unaffordable.

How should the U.S. approach foreign policy when it comes to Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, China and Taiwan relations, etc.?

I strongly believe that providing military aid to our security partners is critical to achieving world peace: a belief that I’ve backed up with my votes in Congress. Without world peace we have nothing, and the only way to achieve that peace is through strength. By providing our global security partners with the resources they need to defend themselves and deter future attacks – which I’ve repeatedly voted to do – we’re doing our part to achieve global peace while also preventing our men and women in uniform from being placed into harm’s way. As the proud Representative of one of the most military-heavy districts in the country, I’ve made it a priority to fight for our servicemembers and their families. This also means fighting for improvements in quality of life and quality of service initiatives to take care of the men and women who serve our
great nation.

What are you hearing most from voters in your district?

Virginians are sick of the partisanship and negative rhetoric they see from their elected
officials. Too often, politicians on both sides of the aisle lose sight of the bigger picture,
choosing to focus on what generates the most attention rather than what will help our
country the most. That’s why I am – and always will be – laser focused on the issues that
matter to VA-02: an economy that works for everyone, strong national security, and
building a future that provides our children and grandchildren with the same
opportunities we’ve had.

What’s an under the radar issue that’s maybe not getting enough attention?

Servicemember quality of life. This is my passion project and something that motivates
me to get out of bed every day. Like many parents, I’ve done my fair share of college
housing tours, where they always show off their beautiful new dorm buildings and top of
the line amenities. Our military is an all-volunteer force; if you compare college dorms
and amenities with those on base – and then consider the duties we’re asking our young
servicemembers to perform – it’s clear that we have a LONG way to go. I had the
privilege of sitting on the House “Recruitment, Retention, Quality of Life” bipartisan task
force this past year, where we introduced 31 amendments supported by a $5 billion
investment to take care of our men and women in uniform and their families. Our House
Armed Services Committee has been able to make good progress improving areas like
base housing, childcare, spouse employment, and mental health services, but we still
have much work to do to ensure that members of our Armed Forces have the tools and
resources they need to complete their mission, experience the quality of life they
deserve, and are always prepared to “fight tonight”.