JUNE 19, 2026
Elaine Luria reverses position on congressional stock trading ban as she campaigns to retake Virginia's 2nd District
Former Representative Elaine Luria, a Democrat who represented Virginia's 2nd Congressional District from 2019 to 2023, has said she now supports legislation banning members of Congress from owning or trading stocks. In 2022, while serving in Congress, Luria told reporters the concept of such a ban was "bulls---." Luria is running to reclaim her seat against Republican incumbent Jen Kiggans in a November 2026 general election.
Luria made her revised position public at a candidate forum, telling attendees she would "support" the STOCK Act and related proposals to limit stock trading by lawmakers. "I will say that this is an issue where I've changed my opinion over time," she said, according to Fox News. She framed the shift as a response to eroding public trust in Congress, saying: "Everything that Congress is doing has eroded that trust."
A campaign spokesperson, in a statement to Fox News Digital, tied Luria's stance to broader corruption arguments, referencing incumbent Jen Kiggans and the Trump administration and stating that Luria "will continue to call for a ban of Members of Congress on trading stocks in office."
The reversal drew attention in part because of Luria's own financial record during her congressional tenure. According to disclosure records cited by Fox News, her net worth grew from approximately $1.13 million to more than $22 million during her time in office. Among her documented positions, she held $250,000 in stock in Alibaba, described by Fox News as the largest such holding among House Democrats in 2021.