Elaine Luria

Elaine Goodman Luria is a Jewish American politician, retired U.S. Navy commander, and businesswoman. A Democrat, she represented Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District from 2019 to 2023. In November 2026, she won election to return to the House of Representatives, beginning in January 2027.

Luria was born on August 15, 1975, in Birmingham, Alabama. She graduated from Indian Springs School in 1993 and the United States Naval Academy in 1997, earning a bachelor’s degree in physics and history. She attended the Navy’s Nuclear Power School and received a master’s degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University in 2004.

Luria served in the Navy from 1997 to 2017 as a nuclear-trained surface warfare officer. Her career included six deployments to the Middle East and Western Pacific aboard destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers. She attained the rank of commander and commanded Assault Craft Unit TWO, a combat-ready unit of approximately 400 sailors, before retiring in 2017. During her naval service, she organized a Passover seder aboard an aircraft carrier.

In 2013, Luria and her husband, retired Navy commander Robert Blondin, opened Mermaid Factory, a business offering locally manufactured mermaid and dolphin figures for customers to paint. The business supported community organizations, including programs benefiting children and the arts. The couple settled in Norfolk in 2000 and raised a family that includes their daughter and Blondin’s two children from a previous marriage.

In 2018, Luria defeated Republican incumbent Scott Taylor to win Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. She took office on January 3, 2019, and defeated Taylor again in 2020.

During her two terms, Luria served as vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee and chaired the Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. She also served on the Homeland Security Committee and the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Her legislative priorities included naval readiness, shipbuilding, veterans’ health care, and advanced nuclear technology.

Luria has advocated a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and efforts to combat anti-Semitism. In 2022, she opposed the Biden administration’s effort to revive the Iran nuclear agreement, arguing that the proposed deal would empower Iran and endanger Israel.

In November 2022, Republican Jen Kiggans defeated Luria’s bid for a third consecutive term. Luria left Congress on January 3, 2023, and did not run in 2024. After leaving office, she served as a spring 2023 fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service.

On November 3, 2026, Luria defeated Kiggans in a rematch, reclaiming her former seat for the 120th Congress. Her campaign received endorsements from the Jewish Democratic Council of America and Democratic Majority for Israel.