This article has been updated to include a statement from Jen Kiggans' campaign.
It's officially past Labor Day, and the election season is really heating up. It appears that so are the desperate campaign blunders coming from Rep. Elaine Luria, a Democrat who represents Virginia's 2nd Congressional District. Of all the vulnerable Virginia Democrats, Luria is perhaps the most likely to lose her seat.
Late last month, Luria released an ad attacking her Republican opponent, state Sen. Jen Kiggans, for her position on abortion. It not only misled voters with false claims about Kiggans' position, but also featured Cheryl Mercer, who is identified in the ad as a a former Vice President of Virginia Beach Republican Women’s Association.
Jen Kiggans has prioritized allowing politicians to ban abortion in all cases without exceptions and attacking the health care freedom of Virginia women.
— Elaine Luria (@ElaineLuriaVA) August 27, 2022
The government has no place in reproductive health care, and I will continue to fight to protect a woman’s right to choose. pic.twitter.com/gUOkiGbl4U
As it turns out, according to information obtained by Townhall, Mercer, who also goes by Elizabeth W. Mercer, is registered to vote in Virginia Beach and has voted for Democratic candidates since 2017. Voters do not register by party in Virginia.
According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Mercer has also donated to Rep. Luria in June of this year. She's also donated to Rep. Abigail Spanberger, another vulnerable Democrat who represents Virginia's 7th Congressional District, and President Joe Biden's 2020 campaign. The FEC has a long list of Mercer donating to Democratic campaigns going back several years, aside from a donation to John McCain's presidential campaign in April of 2008.
Mercer has also made social media posts on Facebook in favor of Dr. Anthony Fauci, including a post where she referred to Trump as a "Fake President;" the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Rep. Luria; and a photo that appears to be in favor of impeaching former President Donald Trump, whose second impeachment trial took place after he had already left office. Her profile pictures and cover photos have also been in favor of the Biden-Harris ticket and a political cartoon against Republicans.
When it comes to Luria's most recent ad on abortion, the nurse and the doctor featured in it aren't even eligible to vote in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District.
The right to choose is a decision that politicians like Jen Kiggans and the government should have no place in. Yet she continues to threaten the health and safety of women in Virginia and across the country by allowing politicians to ban abortion in all cases. pic.twitter.com/mKTxTaSAgR
— Elaine Luria (@ElaineLuriaVA) September 6, 2022
On Kiggans' position on abortion, the Republican nominee has explicitly and on the record stated that she opposes abortion except in cases or rape, incest, or life of the mother. Luria's tweets, however, make claims about her opponent "allowing politicians to ban abortion in all cases" and "allowing politicians to ban abortion in all cases without exception."
Elaine Luria has spent weeks lying to Virginians in her TV ads calling me an extremist… Let’s set the record straight….! #StopElainesLies #SettingTheRecordStraight #VA02 #TruthMatters pic.twitter.com/coAuL8F0Ys
— Jen Kiggans (@JenKiggans) August 29, 2022
Rep. Luria, as Kiggans references in her video address above, voted in favor of the Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA), which would expand Roe v. Wade, allow for abortions for any reason up until birth, and invalidate pro-life protections passed at the state level. While it passed the House last September, it has failed multiple times in the Senate.
Bryan Piligra, a campaign spokesperson for Kiggans, told Townhall in a statement that "Hampton Roads voters know Elaine Luria is not the 'moderate' she portrays on TV ads, but a Democrat who has voted with Joe Biden 99% of the time, supports abortion up to nine months, keeping babies who survive abortion 'comfortable' without lifesaving measures, and mandating taxpayer funded abortions." He added that "Elaine's views are radical and completely out-of-touch with those of the Second District…and she knows it too. That's why she is lying about Jen’s position on abortion and why the so-called 'Republican' featured in Elaine's ad is actually a Democrat voter and donor who has funded the campaigns of Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and countless liberal candidates for years."
This latest campaign stunt from Rep. Luria comes a week after she told a crowd at a campaign rally "thank God we elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris" and claimed "they’ve done so many good things!"
Even The New York Times acknowledges Luria is vulnerable, pointing to her serving on the January 6 select committee. An ethics complaint was filed against Luria over her fundraising off of her work on that committee, as was reported in June.
The race between Luria and Kiggans is considered a "Toss-Up, with Reps. Luria and Spanberger being some of the first members added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)'s Frontline members list, which is for the most vulnerable incumbents.