| Jen Kiggans | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 7th district | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Wagner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 1, 1971[1] Tampa, Florida, U.S.[1] |
| Political party | Republican[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Steve Kiggans[1] |
| Children | 4[2] |
| Residence | Virginia Beach, Virginia[3] |
| Profession | Nurse Practitioner; Naval officer |
| Committees | General Laws and Technology Local Government Rehabilitation and Social Services |
| Website | jenforva.com |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1993–2003 |
Jennifer A. Kiggans (born January 1, 1971) is an American politician and nurse practitioner. She is a Republican member of the Virginia Senate. She was first elected in 2019, and represents the 7th district, comprising parts of the cities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. Previously, Kiggans was a United States Navy helicopter pilot.
Early life and career[]
Kiggans was born in Tampa, Florida, but graduated from high school in Orlando, Florida.[4] As a high school student she worked in Walt Disney World.[5]
From 1993 to 1994 Kiggans taught English in Japan through the JET Programme.[3] She also lived in Japan as a Navy spouse, living there for about five years in total.[5]
Kiggans was a United States Navy pilot for ten years, flying H-46 and H-3 helicopters.[6]
After serving in the military, Kiggans attended nursing school at Old Dominion University and Vanderbilt University. She is currently an adult geriatric nurse practictioner at Eastern Virginia Medical School and in private practice.[2]
Political career[]
In 2019, Kiggans ran for the Virginia Senate for the 7th district, which was being vacated by Republican incumbent Frank Wagner. In the Republican Party primary Kiggans defeated Virginia Beach School Board member Carolyn Weems by a margin of 52% to 48%.[7] In the general election, Kiggans faced Democratic state delegate Cheryl Turpin. The race was viewed as competitive, as the district had very narrowly favored Democrats in recent statewide elections.[8][9] Kiggans and Turpin each spent over $500,000 on television advertisements.[10] Ultimately, Kiggans won by a 50.4% to 49.5% margin.[11]
Personal life[]
Jen Kiggans is a lifelong Catholic who is married to Steve Kiggans, a retired Navy F-18 pilot. They have four children.[5]
Kiggans is friends with state senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-Richmond). They were the only two senators first elected in 2019 who did not previously serve in the House of Delegates.[4]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Jen A. Kiggans". Senate of Virginia. https://apps.senate.virginia.gov/Senator/memberpage.php?id=S109. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Albiges, Marie (June 3, 2020). "School board member, Navy pilot face off in Virginia Beach Senate GOP primary". The Virginian-Pilot. https://www.pilotonline.com/government/virginia/article_1e587bac-83a7-11e9-8b8a-234d76dfacdc.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Jennifer Kiggans' Biography". https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/186387/jennifer-kiggans.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Vozzella, Laura (December 27, 2019). "Virginia Senate gains two political outsiders and friends". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/virginia-senate-gains-two-political-outsiders-and-friends/2019/12/22/a7008dd0-21bf-11ea-a153-dce4b94e4249_story.html.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Hall, Matt (November 3, 2019). "Interview: Veteran Jen Kiggans Runs for 7th State Senate District". https://bearingdrift.com/2019/11/03/interview-veteran-jen-kiggans-runs-for-7th-state-senate-district/.
- ↑ Mitchell, Lynn (April 1, 2019). "Veteran Navy Pilot Jen Kiggans Enters Race for 7th Senate District". https://bearingdrift.com/2019/04/01/veteran-navy-pilot-jen-kiggans-enters-race-for-7th-senate-district/.
- ↑ "2019 Senate of Virginia Republican Primary - District 7". https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/134324/.
- ↑ Oliver, Ned (September 4, 2019). "Cheat sheet: The House and Senate races most likely to decide control of Virginia’s statehouse". Virginia Mercury. https://www.virginiamercury.com/2019/09/04/cheat-sheet-the-house-and-senate-races-most-likely-to-decide-control-of-virginias-statehouse/.
- ↑ "Open Seat Profile - SD7". October 17, 2019. https://www.vpap.org/visuals/visual/open-seat-profile-sd7/.
- ↑ O'Keefe, Jimmy (October 24, 2019). "Va. Senate Candidates Ramp Up Attack Ads Ahead Of Election Day". WHSV-TV. https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Va-Senate-Candidates-Ramp-Up-Attack-Ads-Ahead-Of-Election-Day-563818441.html.
- ↑ "2019 November General - Member Senate of Virginia (007)". November 10, 2019. https://results.elections.virginia.gov/vaelections/2019%20November%20General/Site/Member%20Senate%20of%20Virginia%20(007).html.
External links[]
- Jen Kiggans at the Virginia Public Access Project
The original article can be found at Jen Kiggans and the edit history here.