Republican · Virginia's 2nd District · 2026
Jen Kiggans
Kiggans flew Navy helicopters for ten years before using her GI Bill benefits to train as a nurse practitioner.
Biography
Jen Kiggans changed careers from Navy helicopter cockpits to caring for older patients, using her GI Bill benefits to train as a nurse practitioner.1 She and her husband, a former F/A-18 pilot, live in Virginia Beach and have four grown children.1 Her own flying career lasted ten years and included two Persian Gulf deployments in H-46 and H-3 helicopters.1
After active duty, Kiggans became an adult and geriatric primary care nurse practitioner, working in private practice and facilities serving older people around Norfolk and Virginia Beach.1 She subsequently served in Virginia's Senate, where her work included support for a military spouse liaison and patients and caregivers in long term care.1
In Congress, she serves on Armed Services, Natural Resources and Veterans' Affairs.1 She chairs the Veterans' Affairs oversight and investigations subcommittee.2 Her stated healthcare priorities include affordable access, lower prescription costs and protecting seniors from scams and robocalls.3
Kiggans advocates a well funded military, improvements to service members' housing and healthcare, tighter border enforcement and restraints on federal spending.3 She also supports workforce training and policies she says will encourage economic growth.3 The November field includes Democrat Elaine Luria, whom she defeated in 2022, and independents J. Matt Baker and Bishop Staten.4
Record and controversies
Radio interview response
During a May 2026 radio interview, Kiggans answered “ditto” after a host told House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to get his “cotton-picking hands” off Virginia.5 She subsequently condemned the host's language and said she had agreed only that Jeffries should stay out of Virginia politics; Democratic lawmakers called for her resignation.5