VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va. 2nd District) is taking the cautious approach before declaring victory despite holding a comfortable lead throughout election night and apparently finishing 15,000 votes ahead of Democratic challenger Missy Cotter Smasal. The Associated Press only called the race in favor of Kiggans Wednesday afternoon, while Cotter Smasal issued a statement conceding the race. “Today I concede the race for Congress. I’m proud of our campaign that focused on essential freedoms and protecting our Democracy. That work must continue, and I know my supporters will continue to make their voices heard.” “To our voters, I’m sorry that we did not win the day, but I’m so thankful for your hard work and support. I carry your stories and experiences with me every day, and I am grateful for your trust and teamwork throughout this journey. The countless doors we knocked on, the phone calls we made, and our unwavering commitment to truth and justice in the face of extremism are evidence of our resolve and patriotism. I hope that Congresswoman Kiggans will develop the strength to stand up to extremism in her own party and focus on the needs of ALL Coastal Virginians. “We will always know that we were on the right side of history. Keep the faith and keep up the fight.” — Missy Cotter Smasal A long Tuesday night in the Westin Town Center ballroom became an exhausting Wednesday morning as Kiggans' supporters awaited official word of victory. While top Republicans, including Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears were there to cheer on the crowd, there would be no dramatic Kiggans victory speech.The delay was the result of overwhelmed vote-counting machines in Virginia Beach, and that onslaught was the result of more than 100,000 early and absentee ballots. "So a hundred thousand votes cast that had to be processed last night, run through the machines," said Jeffrey Marks, chair of the Virginia Beach Electoral Board, "and these are little bit older machines, they're on their last legs of their tenure. So it's just gonna take time." Kiggans, in a statement on X, said it was an honor to be reelected. It is the honor of a lifetime to be chosen to represent #VA02 in Congress again…! I’m incredibly thankful that Southeast Virginia has once again chosen commonsense conservatism… together we will get our country back on the right track and secure America’s success…! THANK YOU!— Jen Kiggans (@JenKiggans) November 6, 2024 Kiggans, the Navy veteran helicopter pilot, told 10 On Your Side what her priorities will be in her next term when it comes to military quality of life. "We focused on things like pay compensation, housing, child care, health care and spouse employment," she said. "We made some progress in those areas, but I need the administration and the White House to prioritize funding those initiatives. We've got to improve our quality of life issues for our men and women in uniform." For the past two years, Kiggans has been a member of the 118th Congress, which has historically low numbers when it comes to getting things done. Figures from Govtrack show the current Congress has enacted 106 bills into legislation. Compare that with the average of the past five congresses — 355 new laws for each. So Kiggans and her fellow House lawmakers were outdone in the past five congresses at a rate of more than three to one. It's likely a comment on how divided our political process currently stands. Kiggans later offered another post on X, in which the expressed how honored she was that voters chose "commonsense conservatism" to represent them in Congress. I’m incredibly honored that voters in Southeast Virginia have once again chosen commonsense conservatism to represent them in Washington. It is a duty I do not take lightly.Two years ago, we narrowly won one of the most consequential House races in the country when we flipped… pic.twitter.com/1TVwZ07Wgm— Jen Kiggans (@JenKiggans) November 6, 2024 Marks said it will take at least a week to full certify the vote in Virginia Beach, the largest municipality in the 2nd Congressional District. The next Congress, the one to which Kiggans was just re-elected, begins Jan. 3.