by Alex Littlehales
June 5, 20204
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — On June 18, Virginia voters across the sprawling 2nd Congressional District — encompassing the cities of Virginia Beach and portions of Chesapeake, Suffolk and the Eastern Shore — will head to the voting booths to select the Democratic nominee to face off against Rep. Jen Kiggans (R) this November.
Here are the candidates vying to challenge Kiggans.
Missy Cotter Smasal – Veteran and former small business owner
Why are you running for Congress?
“I had a small business here for over 10 years, I came here as a Surface Warfare officer from the U.S. Navy. Really proud to serve during the global war on terrorism, and I’ve been running a non-profit in Virginia Beach for the last few years. We honor women who serve in the military, I’m also an adjunct at Old Dominion University and I’m a citizen representative for the Chesapeake Bay Commission. I think that experience is really reflective of the district.”
Your website lists you as a red-to-blue candidate, what does that mean?
“One of 20 candidates across the country who have been named to the “Red to Blue list, which is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee way of saying these are the candidates who have put together an operation to win.”
“I think we’ve seen too much chaos in Washington DC, we’ve seen a failure to really lead in Congress and that’s because of people like Jen Kiggans supporting a MAGA agenda.”
We’re now seeing several candidates who share a similar background of serving in the U.S Navy with former Congresswoman Elaine Luria and now Rep. Kiggans. Is this a blueprint for Coastal Virginia? Do you think that presents a challenge in differentiating yourself or is it a benefit?
“I do think it’s important to have a shared history with the people in your community and district. There are more than 60,000 veterans in this district. My husband was also an army veteran, so we believe in that service to country and community.
If you won the primary and then faced Rep. Kiggans in the November General Elections, is there a topic or policy you most disagree with her on?
“Reproductive rights is one of the main things I’m hearing across the district. I want to make sure we’re standing fast for bodily autonomy and women’s rights. Defending democracy, people feel an urgent need to protect our democracy this year to make sure votes count and voting rights are protected.”
We’ve seen both Republican and Democratic candidates have success in this district, do you think that’s a challenge or advantage?
“That’s the beauty of coastal Virginia, this independent streak we have. We want serious pragmatic, practical leadership, and it goes back and forth often because they don’t want to see extremes on either side.”
