Democrat Candidate Owns $1.7M D.C. Home Hours From His Virginia District

Democratic congressional hopeful James Osyf is under fire for owning a $1.7 million townhome in Washington, D.C., while campaigning to represent Virginia’s 2nd District located nearly 200 miles away. The revelation raises questions about how connected Osyf, a Navy veteran and Lockheed Martin executive, really is to the voters he claims to represent.

Osyf, 40, is one of three Democrats vying to challenge Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans, who has held the seat since flipping it from Democrat Elaine Luria in 2023. Public records show Osyf not only owns the ritzy D.C. property but also has his campaign registered at a D.C. address, with no documented residence within the Virginia district.

“It certainly doesn’t look good,” Todd Belt, director of the Political Management program at George Washington University, told the New York Post. He noted that living outside the district is such a political liability that “candidates often fake a residence in a district in order to run there.”

Key points raising concern about Osyf’s residency:

• Virginia law requires congressional candidates to live in the state for at least one year prior to an election.

• Records show Osyf owns no property in Virginia’s 2nd District.

• His D.C. ties, including his campaign headquarters, could become a major target for Republicans during the race.

Kiggans, who won re-election in 2024 by defeating Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal with 51% of the vote, is expected to face a competitive challenge in 2026. However, Osyf’s residency issue could prove to be a significant stumbling block for Democrats trying to reclaim the seat. The Cook Political Report currently rates the district as “lean Republican,” meaning Osyf’s personal optics could carry extra weight in what’s already expected to be a close contest.

Osyf’s team has not clarified whether he plans to establish residency in the district before the election. He could amend his campaign filings later to reflect an address in Virginia’s 2nd District, but critics argue that the disconnect between his upscale D.C. lifestyle and the southern Virginia communities he hopes to represent will be hard to overcome.

With Republicans already gearing up to defend the seat, Osyf’s ties to D.C. may provide GOP candidates with a ready-made narrative: that Democrats are out of touch with the very voters they claim to represent.

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