Candidate Profile: Missy Cotter Smasal (U.S. House of Representatives, VA District 2)

Name: Missy Cotter Smasal

Race: U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia, 2nd District

Party: Democratic

Website: missy4congress.com

Biography: Missy Cotter Smasal served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy and deployed aboard the U.S.S. Trenton during Operation Enduring Freedom. After active duty service, Missy started a small business in Virginia Beach, which she owned and operated for 10 years.

Missy currently serves as the Virginia Citizen Representative on the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a bipartisan commission working in pursuit of Bay restoration goals. She is the Executive Director for a local non-profit that honors women who served in the U.S. military post 9/11. She is also an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University.

She and her husband, a former Army Officer, are the proud parents of two kids in Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Missy is running for Congress to fight for Coastal Virginians, military families, and veterans. She will stand up for our local values and push back against extreme politicians in DC.

Why are you running for this office?

I’m running for Congress because I love my home in Coastal Virginia and want a better future for our families. Coastal Virginians want results and solutions, but Jen Kiggans and the MAGA extremists in Congress have delivered only chaos and dysfunction. We want our intrinsic freedoms, like bodily autonomy and voting rights, protected, but have watched extreme republicans take them away. Hampton Roads makes significant contributions to our national security, and therefore Congress’ responsibility to do its job and support our troops and veterans has a large impact on our local businesses. We continue to watch MAGA republicans threaten shutdowns and attempt to gut the VA and earned veterans benefits, which my opponent voted for. These antics and votes have a chilling effect on our local economy and use veterans for political leverage – it’s unacceptable. I will always stand up for our rights, our Democracy, and the interests of Coastal Virginia.

What are your thoughts on the direction of the country?

I’m concerned about the world we’re leaving to the next generation. Extremists in D.C. have focused on trying to strip away basic freedoms like reproductive and voting rights, and delivered only chaos. Kiggans voted with her MAGA allies in Congress for unacceptable cuts to the VA, and empowers their dysfunction which stifles our local economy. When elected, I will put Virginians first. That means working with good faith stakeholders to fight for us. We deserve a leader who rejects extremism, works to restore faith in our system, & delivers results.

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

I support the Harris/Walz ticket because it’s essential that we protect our Democracy and
intrinsic freedoms. We cannot afford to cede our country to right-wing extremists who backed
the domestic terror attack on our Capitol on January 6th. When Jen Kiggans refers to Marjorie
Taylor Green as “So Kind,” and her “Teammate,” saying they “want the same things,” it shows
that Kiggans will always choose her party bosses over Coastal Virginia. These are the same
people who have spread conspiracy theories about our elections and attack our democratic
institutions. I’ll always choose Coastal Virginia for my team and reject the politics of extremism.

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

I’m committed to protecting our basic rights and freedoms for bodily autonomy, access to health care, and voting rights. We must honor our commitments to military families and veterans, something Jen Kiggans failed to do when she voted for an across the board cut to the Veterans Administration that would increase wait times for healthcare appointments and put veterans’ health at risk. Time is of the essence to hold corporations accountable for price gouging and ease the burden on households. Groceries are expensive and too many hard working families and small business owners are struggling to handle the higher costs, while large corporations rake in profits.

How should Congress address the issue of immigration?

I served during the Global War on Terror and know that a secure border is fundamental to our national security as well as the safety of our communities and the health of our economy. For decades, politicians have played politics with the border. Instead of real solutions, we’ve gotten chaos and inaction. We must provide increased technology and patrol officers at ports of entry to stop fentanyl from coming in, increase funding for Border Patrol agents, and increase the capacity and efficiency of immigration courts. Jen Kiggans and MAGA extremists want to use immigration as a scare tactic, as evidenced by her falling in line and rejecting a bipartisan deal to secure the border that was backed by the Border Patrol.

How should Congress address climate change?

Climate Change is not only an environmental concern here in Virginia Beach, but it also affects our economy, schools, transportation, and, because of our Military bases, our national security. We need urgent action. I will focus on real solutions that will protect our homes and businesses in Virginia. From combating coastal flooding, to helping farmers implement best agricultural practices, to creating good jobs and lowering energy costs through clean energy production, science-based solutions can help our district improve resiliency and lead the way on addressing the climate crisis.

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

I served in the U.S. Navy and deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operation Enduring Freedom and understand the cost of war. I am committed to both ensuring our military remains the strongest in the world and that we protect the safety of our service members and all Americans by fostering international peace and prosperity through U.S. diplomacy, development, and trade. We must support our democratic allies against autocratic aggressors, such as Russia, Iran, and China. Additionally, my district is home to many veterans and military families like mine. They deserve a Representative who understands the challenges they face and who will always put them before partisan politics.

What are you hearing most from voters in your district?

Coastal Virginians have expressed grave concern over the threat of a national abortion ban from MAGA republicans like Jen Kiggans. You have an innate right to control your own body. You should not lose that right depending on where you live, who controls your state legislature, or where your military orders station you and your family. Extreme politicians are determined to take away our personal freedoms, like the right to make decisions about our bodies and reproductive healthcare. I will steadfastly advocate for your personal freedom, and one of my top priorities will be restoring Roe v. Wade into law to protect the rights of Virginia women from
politicians like Kiggans.

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

Veterans across the district have talked with me about their dismay over the pattern of disrespect for the military that the MAGA movement has displayed. We have a proud tradition of service in this district, so when Kiggans rallies behind a leader who uses terms like “suckers” and “losers” in reference to military members or calls Marjorie Taylor Green her teammate, when Marjorie Taylor Green says military service “is like throwing your life away,” veterans are appalled. Any serious representative from this district would never stand silently by this pattern of disrespect and we’re disappointed to see that Kiggans falls in line with her party bosses over and over again.