NEW: Jen Kiggans Says She “Couldn’t Be a Stauncher Supporter” Of Iran War As Gas Prices Skyrocket

Virginia Mercury: “Virginia Republican faces growing political pressure in 2nd congressional District as gas prices climb”

• U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, a Republican from Virginia Beach, is finding herself in a politically precarious position as she seeks a third term in one of the nation’s most competitive congressional races.
• She continues defending her support for President Donald Trump and his administration’s war in Iran while also acknowledging the economic strain the conflict is placing on voters back home.
• During an April appearance on “The John Fredericks Show,” Kiggans underscored her support for U.S. military actions against Iran, saying she “couldn’t be a stauncher supporter” of the effort. 
• But the congresswoman also acknowledged the economic fallout from the conflict, particularly the rising fuel prices that have become a growing frustration across Hampton Roads and beyond. 
• “I need gas prices to come back down,” she said. “I too am tired of paying high prices at the pump. We were doing good for a while. I know that the Iran conflict has a little bit to do with it, but we’ll keep working on it. We need that to come down before the midterms.”
• Former U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, the Democrat Kiggans defeated in 2022 who is now seeking a comeback, strongly criticized the congresswoman’s support for the war. 
• “Jen Kiggans once again put President Trump above Hampton Roads and cast the deciding vote to continue this reckless war with Iran,” Luria said in an email Wednesday. “She gave President Trump a blank check for an unnecessary war that is raising prices at the grocery store and the gas pump. The working families and military families of Hampton Roads deserve better than her failed leadership and empty promises.”
• Eli Cousin, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, also tried to connect Kiggans directly to rising costs of living. “Jen Kiggans lied to Virginians’ faces when she promised she would lower costs,” Cousin said.
• The Mercury contacted Kiggans’ congressional office and her campaign with questions about her comments in the interview, the ongoing conflict and the economic impact on residents in her district, but the campaign did not respond to several emails.
• Alex Keena, an associate professor for political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, said Kiggans may have complicated her own political position by publicly acknowledging that the Iran conflict is contributing to higher gas prices while continuing to support the war itself.
• “This is inexplicable,” Keena said of Kiggans publicly linking to higher gas prices. “The war serves no clear objective, and the administration has yet to provide a coherent explanation for why attacking Iran was necessary or how it will end up benefiting American interests in the long term.”
• Keena said the political risk for Kiggans is not only her position on the war itself, but also the perception that she has aligned herself too closely with Trump, who remains deeply unpopular in Virginia. “The danger is that she will be perceived as a rubber stamp who approves of Trump’s policies that might sound great within the MAGA world, but are not appealing to the majority of the country that does not live within the echo chamber,” he said.
• “There are no economic benefits to this war, and Americans are feeling the pain at the pump and in rising prices for consumer goods,” Keena added. “History suggests they will take out their dissatisfaction on the party that is in charge, which does not bode well for Republicans.”