Elaine Luria assisted in the investigation on January 6 and lost her House seat. Now she is making a comeback offer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Virginia Democrat who helped investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is trying to make a comeback after landslide election victories last week as her party looks to break President Donald Trump’s grip on federal power in the 2026 midterm elections.

Former U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, a military veteran who co-presented the select committee’s findings on Jan. 6 after Trump’s first term, told The Associated Press that she will seek the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. Her bid sets up a potential rematch with Republican Rep. Jennifer Keegans, another military veteran who ousted her in 2022.

Hampton Roads, which is ethnically diverse and has a large military population, is among dozens of districts that will determine control of the House nationally. Luria’s nomination, in particular, highlights what is at stake for Democrats’ public identity and for Trump in the final years of his second term in the White House.

Loria said in an interview that the country is “going through very fragile times” with “a leader who I believe is not a leader at all and not trustworthy at all.”

The 50-year-old Naval Academy graduate pledged to improve economic opportunities and work with everyone on Capitol Hill. But she made no apology for her desire to hold Trump accountable. That includes her role in investigating Trump and his supporters, who ransacked the Capitol and tried to help the Republican president overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

“People told me at the time, ‘You may not get re-elected,’” said Luria, who twice voted to impeach Trump and publicly displayed the 187 minutes Trump did not speak publicly to stop the riot. “You know, I said, ‘I don’t care,’ basically. ‘I’m doing the right thing.’ “The American people need to know what happened that day.”

He watches: During the Jan. 6 riot, Rep. Elaine Luria said Donald Trump was glued to Fox News

Trump said his supporters were sentenced for their actions in January. His statements on October 6, 2021 were “ridiculous and excessive” and he defended his decision to grant clemency to people convicted of assaulting police officers during the attack.

As Luria’s first congressional campaign did in 2018, her ad strengthens Democrats who want center-left candidates to run in competitive districts — figures like her new House colleagues, Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, who just won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively.

Luria told the AP that the Democratic sweep in Virginia “certainly demonstrated enthusiasm and support for the policies and values ​​that I stand for.”

She stopped short of taking sides in the intra-party conflict between moderates and center-left progressives such as New York City Mayor-elect Zahran Mamdani, a democratic socialist.

“The right kind of profile for Democrats is someone who can speak to and reconcile the interests of their district,” Luria said, later adding: “I couldn’t care less who the mayor of New York City is.”

Asked about members of the Senate Democratic Caucus who voted this week to end the federal government shutdown without ensuring an extension of Affordable Care Act benefits, Luria pushed the question forward rather than acknowledging the widespread anger at lawmakers from across the Democratic spectrum.

“The reality is there could not be closure” with the Democratic majority, Luria said. “And we will absolutely ensure that people continue to get ACA subsidies to make their health care more affordable.”

Beyond the differences in domestic policy, Luria’s presentation serves as a reminder of how the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives will use congressional subpoenas and investigative power while Trump remains in office. Luria said Trump continued to violate democratic norms in his second presidency, while reneging on his 2024 campaign promises to lower consumer costs.

“Violating standards is really — it’s almost an understatement,” she said. “Every day, there is something new that distracts from the fact that the administration is not doing what they told voters they would do.”

Pointing to rising housing, grocery and utility costs, Luria said: “It’s all really caused by the chaos and uncertainty that this administration has created, and really by Republicans in Congress who have sat idly by, waiting for their orders, essentially, from the White House.”

Barrow reported from Atlanta.