U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, a first-term Democrat from Virginia, just released a campaign and fundraising video that eviscerates Donald Trump. The video, which is going viral on Twitter, refers to her decades of military service in the Navy and the promise she and other service members make to honor the Constitution. On Veterans Day, this message resonates as especially meaningful. The video then reiterates her support of the impeachment inquiry into Trump, with the angle that her support of the investigation is, above all else, support of the Constitution.
Luria recently joined six other first-term Democrats in supporting the impeachment inquiry. The video uses a combination of media clips including the moon landing, Martin Luther King Jr., and children riding bicycles, as well as Luria’s own voice-overs, to send a message that’s likely to appeal to moderates.
“I didn’t come to Washington to impeach the president,” Luria says in the video below. “But I also didn’t spend 20 years in the Navy to allow our Constitution to be trampled on.”
Notably, Luria is not only a first-term member of Congress but she’s also from a swing district. Is she concerned that her support of the impeachment investigation could cost her reelection next year? No. As The Washington Post reports, even before election results were in, she reportedly told fellow Democrats she received loads of support since speaking out in favor of the impeachment process.
In her campaign video, she highlights that very question, saying, “People might say, ‘Well, why did you do that? You might not get reelected ... I don’t care, because I did the right thing.” This rhetorical question-and-answer is from a town hall in October.
In 2018, Luria defeated former Rep. Scott Taylor, but he’s said he plans to run for the Senate seat next year. It’s unknown which Republican will challenge Luria in 2020.
Here’s the same video circulating on Twitter on YouTube, as well: