Republicans face off in primary for Rep. Elaine Luria’s 2nd Congressional District seat

Four veterans are facing off to represent Virginia Republicans in the U.S. House’s 2nd congressional district primary.

The candidates: state Sen. Jen Kiggans, Andrew “Andy” Baan, L. Tommy Altman and Jarome Bell. Kiggans is the only candidate to have held an elected office. The primary is slated for June 21, but early voting started Friday.

Kiggans, 50, is a U.S. Navy veteran who completed two deployments to the Persian Gulf. She now works as a geriatric nurse practitioner. She was elected to the state Senate in 2019 but decided to run for Congress after redistricting placed her in the same district as Bill DeSteph, a fellow Republican who has served in the state Senate since 2016.

If elected, Kiggans said her top priority would be strengthening the economy. Inflation has left Americans with difficult choices, she said, as they struggle with rising costs of gas and groceries. To help, she would support the development of new domestic energy sources — such as opening the Keystone XL oil pipeline — and work to reduce government spending.

“We paid people for way too long to stay home (during the pandemic) and not be productive members of the workforce,” she said. We’ve got to get away from this mentality where we are paying people to stay home and we’ve got to return to the dignity of work.”

Tightening border security is another of her priorities. She wants to complete the border wall and allocate more funding and resources to support border patrol agents.

Baan, 64, is a Navy veteran who received the Bronze Star for his service during the Iraq War. He has also worked as a prosecutor, defense contractor program manager and is now a cybersecurity consultant. His work has taken him to 39 countries throughout his career.

If elected, Baan said he would work to balance the budget and reduce federal spending. He believes it’s unfair that younger generations will be burdened by the national debt.

“We’re borrowing for us and making them pay for it; that’s generational theft,” he said, adding this concern is the main reason he ran for office.

Baan said he also would propose distributing federal agencies across the nation instead of centering their departments in Washington. Doing so, he said, could help prevent federal agencies from being influenced by lobbyists.

Baan also listed supporting law enforcement as a top priority.

Altman, 41, is a veteran of Air Force Special Operations who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He now owns Sandbridge Tattoo in Virginia Beach. After the city’s mass shooting in 2019, Altman said the studio held a fundraiser and raised about $17,000 for survivors and victims’ families.

A believer in limited federal government, Altman said he would advocate for states’ rights in Congress.

“We need to see less big government and see the power pushed back down to the people as far as possible,” he said.

Altman is endorsed by first-term Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina. Altman said the two connected over their shared love for tattoos. In his campaign video, Altman tattoos Cawthorn’s arm as they discuss their concerns with government overreach.

Bell, 55, served in the Navy for 27 years and now owns Line6 Recruiting Services, a small Virginia Beach business that helps students obtain athletic scholarships for college.

Bell said he believes the nuclear family is under attack, so he would stand up for conservative family values if elected. He wants to end abortion rights and require students to use the bathrooms assigned to their biological genders.

“There are only two genders so to teach anything else to these kids, especially kids as young as third grade or second grade, that’s a travesty,” he said. “The school should not have a place of sexualizing or indoctrinating our kids on issues like transgenderism.”

But Bell said his top priority would be supporting veterans. He wants homeless veterans to be provided with housing and opportunities to learn new job skills. He said he would also work to improve medical care for veterans, especially mental health services.

The winner will face off against Rep. Elaine Luria in November. Luria, a Democrat and U.S. Navy veteran, was elected in 2018.

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Profiles

Name: Jen Kiggans

Age: 50

Occupation: Geriatric nurse practitioner, state senator, former Navy helicopter pilot

Previous office held, if any: State senator (District 7)

Education: Vanderbilt University, M.S. in Nursing (2012); Old Dominion University, B.S. in Nursing (2011); Boston University, B.S. in International Relations (1993).

Website: www.jenforcongress.com

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Name: Andrew “Andy” Baan

Age: 64

Occupation: Cybersecurity consultant, retired Navy Captain

Previous office held: None

Education: Norfolk State University, M.S. in Cybersecurity (2016); Naval War College, M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies (2010); The Dickinson School of Law, J.D. (1987); University of Notre Dame, B.A. in Government and International Studies (1980); University of Notre Dame, B.A. in German (1980)

Website: andybaan.com

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Name: Tommy Altman

Age: 41

Occupation: Tattoo artist, owner of Sandbridge Tattoo

Previous office held, if any: None

Education: Regent University, B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies (2011)

Website: www.TommyAltman.com

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Name: Jarome Bell

Age: 55

Occupation: Retired Navy Chief Petty Officer

Previous office held, if any: None

Education: Embry Riddle University, B.S. in Professional Aeronautics (2008)

Website: jaromebellforcongress.com

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Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com, 757-835-1487