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PRESS RELEASE: Lisa Vedernikova Khanna Announces Pregnancy, Releases New Video and Policy Plan to Make Pregnancy and Parenthood More Affordable
For Immediate Release
October 13, 2025
MIDLOTHIAN, VA – Today, VA-01 congressional candidate Lisa Vedernikova Khanna announced that she is expecting her first child and unveiled a bold new policy plan focused on making pregnancy care and raising children more affordable and accessible for families across Virginia. Fewer than fifteen women in American history have ever given birth while serving in Congress and, if elected, Lisa will be the youngest mom in Congress.
The announcement comes alongside a new video (link) that brings Lisa’s pregnancy and story to life in her own words and focuses on issues like affordability and access to health care that affect her growing family and families across the country.
Her story, shared through both the video and an op-ed in Marie Claire, offers a rare, candid look at what it means to run for office while preparing for motherhood and why policies around affordability and health care are central to her campaign. Lisa said her pregnancy has reiterated what’s at stake for families in Virginia:
“Families live with the consequences of every policy, but too often they don’t have a seat at the table when those decisions are made,” said Lisa Vedernikova Khanna, candidate for Virginia’s First Congressional District. “Being pregnant while running makes that impossible to ignore and it makes me even more determined to fight for policies that actually work for parents and kids.”
Lisa’s perspective is rooted in her own story. Her mother came to the U.S. from the Soviet Union and raised Lisa on her own, cleaning houses and nannying to make ends meet. Programs like Medicaid, school lunch programs, and Pell Grants gave Lisa a fair shot. Now, as an expecting mother, she’s determined to make sure every family has access to those same opportunities.
“The very programs that helped families like mine survive are being dismantled right now because too many in Washington legislate in the abstract. They don’t live the realities that they’re writing laws about. Everywhere I go, people tell me the same thing: the kitchen table math is brutal. Rent keeps climbing. Daycare can cost more than rent itself. When maternity care is an hour’s drive away or child care forces moms out of work, it’s because politicians are too far from our lived reality,” Lisa said.
That's why today Lisa is also releasing a comprehensive policy plan focusing on tackling the biggest challenges facing families: rising costs and access to quality health care. Her plan, “Ensuring Every Family Can Thrive,” focuses on:
Guaranteeing 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave so parents can care for a newborn without risking their job or paycheck.
Ending maternity care deserts by protecting rural hospitals and funding maternity wards in underserved counties.
Expanding the perinatal workforce with more nurses, midwives, doulas, and community birth workers.
Lowering out-of-pocket costs for prenatal care, medications, and preventive services.
Protecting reproductive freedom by restoring Roe, safeguarding contraception and IVF, and blocking any national abortion ban.
Making child care affordable by capping expenses at 7% of family income and making care free for low-income families.
Cutting costs for families by eliminating tariffs on diapers, cribs, strollers, and car seats.
Putting more money in parents’ pockets by reinstating the fully refundable Child Tax Credit and raising the minimum wage .
You can read the full plan here.
Lisa’s campaign has always been about putting families first. Her candidacy shows that lived experience matters in Washington and her story, now shared in full, underscores what’s at stake for working parents across the country.
Below are the accompanying materials:
The video announcing Lisa’s pregnancy (linked here)
The op-ed in Marie Claire (linked here)
The policy plan (linked here)
I Found Out I Was Pregnant the Week I Announced My Run for Congress
By Lisa Vedernikova Khanna
October 9, 2025 - Marie Claire
Days after I launched my campaign for Congress, I found out I was pregnant.
We had been trying for a few months, but I still wasn’t expecting it. I’d taken a test the week before and gotten a negative result. But here I was, a few days later, with two lines on a pregnancy test staring back at me. My husband and I were thrilled, and I was especially excited to share the news with my mom. When I called earlier in the spring to tell her I was running, she admitted she half-expected I’d say I was pregnant. I couldn’t wait to tell her that her hunch wasn’t too far off.
The next week, on my way to meet with a voter, a wave of nausea washed over me and wiped every talking point from my mind. It dawned on me that this was what the next nine months would be: building a campaign and a human at the same time.
It didn’t take long for the questions to creep in: Do I tell people now, or wait until I’m showing? Will voters see this as a strength or a liability? Would my opponents use it against me? In politics, nothing stays private for long. Every joy, every heartbreak, every decision is out in the open for the public to see. At home, my husband and I spent the evenings trying to work through the logistics: how we’d handle health insurance, child care, and parental leave. The same kitchen-table issues I’d heard from voters had suddenly landed on my own.
These worries extend far beyond my own home and district. They belong to millions of women across the country who go to work pregnant, raise kids without affordable child care, and spend late nights searching for a doctor who takes their insurance. A recent University of Kansas study found that in early 2025, mothers of young children saw the steepest drop in labor-force participation in more than forty years. We are the only wealthy nation without national paid leave, and we lead the developed world in maternal deaths. These aren’t “women’s issues.” They’re the foundation of a functional economy, and the U.S. continues to fall short.
When child care collapses, parents are pushed out of the workforce. When prenatal care is far away or unaffordable, complications rise, and so do costs. When less than a third of U.S. workers have paid family leave, babies and parents suffer, and employers lose talent. When politics punishes women for being mothers, everyone pays for it. The solutions aren’t complicated: Guarantee paid family leave so no one has to choose between a paycheck and caring for a newborn. Protect rural hospitals and expand maternal care. Strengthen Medicaid, which already covers 40 percent of U.S. births. Cap child care costs, pay early educators fairly, and support modern maternal care through telehealth, doulas, and midwives.
My mom came to America from Soviet Russia before the fall of the Soviet Union, searching for freedom, fairness, and opportunity. She raised me on her own, working as a housekeeper and nanny to keep us afloat, and was undocumented for years before finally receiving her green card two years ago. I grew up watching her stretch every dollar and do whatever it took to make ends meet. From an early age, I worked right alongside her, cleaning houses, juggling odd jobs, and learning what hard work really means. We faced eviction and bankruptcy, but programs like Medicaid, free school lunch, and Pell Grants opened countless doors for me.
Those programs made it possible for me to attend public school, learn English, and eventually build a career, from working at the New York Times to the DNC to Instacart. I’ve lived the promise of the American Dream, but I’ve also watched those same opportunities slip away for too many families. That’s why I decided to run: to make sure that safety net is stronger, not smaller, and to give other families the same shot at stability and opportunity my mom fought to give me.
Once the campaign was in full swing, I realized just how much those first few months had taken out of me. Running for office is isolating enough on its own—long days on the road, back-to-back events, rooms full of people that can still feel lonely. Doing it while pregnant added a different kind of weight, both literal and emotional. There’s no handbook for that, no group chat of pregnant candidates trading tips on debate prep or compression socks. Fewer than fifteen women in American history have ever given birth while serving in Congress. I’m grateful for the women who’ve broken that ground, but there still aren’t many examples of what it looks like to campaign while becoming a mom for the first time.
Ultimately, running while pregnant hasn’t been a setback. If anything, it clarified my purpose and reminded me why I chose to do this. People will make their own judgments about my timeline, my body, my choices. I can’t control the optics, but I can control what I do with this experience. And for me, that means leading with the fact that I’m running for office while carrying a baby, not hiding from it.
So, I’ll keep showing up. I’ll keep making the case that when we build a country that works for families, it works for everyone. That’s the campaign. That’s the work. That’s the future I want to give my child.
PRESS RELEASE: Daughter of Soviet Immigrant and VA-01 Candidate for Congress Lisa Vedernikova Khanna Warns of Alarming Authoritarian Shift in America
For Immediate Release
September 19, 2025
The below statement is in Russian, the language Lisa’s mother spoke when she told stories of the country she fled. Back then, those stories felt like cautionary tales from another world. Lately, they’re starting to feel more like current events. So, it only seemed fitting to write this in the language that first warned her what to watch for. You can read an English translated version here.
МИДЛОТИАН, Вирджиния – Dear Comrade:
Лиза Ведерникова Ханна, кандидат в Конгресс от Демократической партии по округу VA-01, чья мать бежала из Советской России, призывает американцев признать очевидные признаки нарастающего авторитаризма внутри наших собственных границ — признаки, напоминающие тот самый режим, от которого её мать рисковала всем, чтобы сбежать.
«В детстве я слышала истории о жизни моей матери при советском правлении о стране, наполненной цензурой, страхом и жестокой ценой инакомыслия, сказала Лиза Ведерникова Ханна. Она приехала в Америку, потому что здесь люди могли свободно говорить и объединяться ради перемен без страха преследования. В демократии несогласие это не преступление. Инакомыслие это не предательство. Мирный протест это не угроза. Это краеугольные принципы свободного общества, и сегодня они подвергаются нападкам. Я бью тревогу, потому что автократия не возникает в одночасье: она прокрадывается, пока мы смотрим в другую сторону, и когда мы полностью это осознаём, бывает уже слишком поздно. Я отказываюсь молчаливо наблюдать; моя мать не бежала от одного авторитарного режима лишь для того, чтобы её дочь жила под другим».
Лиза обращает внимание на недавние события, указывающие на этот опасный дрейф:
Попытки установить контроль над СМИ, включая многомиллиардные иски против New York Times и снятие с эфира комиков, таких как Jimmy Kimmel и Stephen Colbert,
Расширение контроля над социальными сетями, вызванное всё более сильным влиянием правых политических сил на TikTok, X и Meta.
Использование армии и правоохранительных органов против граждан США, особенно тех, кто мирно протестует или выступает против администрации, в городах по всей стране, включая Лос-Анджелес и Вашингтон.
Публичные угрозы в адрес либеральных организаций, включая обещание Вице-президент Дж. Д. Вэнса «заняться» левыми институтами.
For press inquiries or to schedule an interview, please contact press@lvk.vote
PRESS RELEASE: Lisa Vedernikova Khanna Builds Momentum With Two Additional Endorsements from State Electeds
The lawmakers signal Vedernikova Khanna as the candidate to beat Rob Wittman
For Immediate Release
September 5, 2025
MIDLOTHIAN, VA – After outraising the primary field in Q2, Democrat Lisa Vedernikova Khanna has received the endorsement of two prominent Virginia legislators, Senator Saddam Salim and Delegate JJ Singh.
In announcing his endorsement, Senator Salim shared the following statement:
“From the rising cost of living to the urgent need to protect and expand access to healthcare, Lisa understands firsthand the challenges Virginians are facing. At a time when too many families are being left behind, she’s fighting for solutions that will actually make a difference: lowering costs, defending Medicaid, and protecting our fundamental freedoms. I’m proud to support Lisa because she’s committed to making sure every Virginian has a fair shot.”
Delegate Singh had this to say about his endorsement:
“Lisa is the leader we need. She’s ready to flip this seat because she’s fighting for us and what matters most: supporting working families, making life more affordable, and protecting our rights. I’m proud to support her campaign.”
They join the mounting support of the following:
Jennifer Carroll Foy, Virginia State Senator, SD-33
Albert Pollard, Former HD-99 Delegate
Andrew "Gumby" Breton, Richmond City Councilmember
Marc Broklawski, Democratic Activist & Former CD-1 Chair
Cyliene Montgomery, Disability Advocate
Hanh Deniston, Union Firefighter
Traci Franssen, Former Chesterfield County Democratic Committee First Vice Chair of Elections and Operations
Murti Khan, Former Chesterfield County Democratic Committee Treasurer
Don Glazer, CD-4 Member
Kelley Losier, Democratic Activist
Tavarris Spinks, Democratic Activist
Ben Reeves, Chesterfield Democratic Activist
Kai Ward, Chesterfield Democratic Activist
Jenny Wolfe, Hanover Democratic Activist
Jacob Peters, Democratic Labor Activist
Ethan Blouch, Henrico Democratic Activist
Khanna kicks off "Lisa Listens" tour in Westmoreland to prepare for run against Wittman
August 14, 2025 - Westmoreland News
PRESS RELEASE: Russian-Ukrainian Candidate for VA-01 Condemns Trump-Putin Meeting As Dangerous
Drawing on Her Mother’s Flight from Soviet Russia, Lisa Vedernikova Khanna Calls Out Trump’s Embrace of Putin
For Immediate Release
August 16, 2025
MIDLOTHIAN, VA - Following what many are calling a victory for Vladimir Putin, one of America’s chief adversaries, Russian-Ukrainian American and VA-01 Congressional candidate Lisa Vedernikova issues a scathing rebuke of President Trump’s closed door meeting with President Putin in Alaska. The meeting, which took no press questions and concluded without any public accountability, was met with gloating in Moscow.
Lisa Vedernikova Khanna, candidate for Virginia’s first congressional district, released the following statement:
“So much for “America First.” Today’s meeting was a win for Vladimir Putin at America’s expense, driven not by strategy but by Donald Trump’s eagerness to cozy up to an autocrat. And it came at the cost of addressing the real challenges facing us here at home.
As someone who grew up hearing my mother’s stories of fleeing Soviet Russia, I know what Trump refuses to see: Putin is no ally. His pursuit of power has cost over a million lives and serves nothing but his own destructive ambitions.
While Trump isolates our allies across the world, he rolled out the red carpet for Putin on American soil, weakening our credibility and alliances for years to come. America deserves leadership that strengthens our democracy and stands with our allies, not one that plays into the hands of autocrats.”
PRESS RELEASE: VA-01 Candidate Lisa Vedernikova Khanna Launches “Lisa Listens” Tour to Every Locality In the District
While Wittman hides from constituents, Khanna will visit all 18 localities in Virginia’s First Congressional, holding Mobile Office Hours to hear the concerns of Central and Eastern Virginians.
For Immediate Release
August 4, 2025
MIDLOTHIAN, VA — Community advocate and business leader Lisa Vedernikova Khanna today announced the launch of her Lisa Listens Tour, a district-wide effort to hear directly from people across all 18 localities in Virginia’s First Congressional District.
The tour comes in the wake of Rob Wittman’s vote for the Republican budget, which includes deep cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential programs that thousands of Virginians rely on. As Wittman continues to serve special interests over his own constituents and refuses to hold a town hall to listen to the people he’s elected to serve, Khanna’s tour will bring her to every corner of the district for town halls, mobile office hours, meet & greets, and more to ensure their voices are heard.
The tour will launch on Saturday, August 9th in Westmoreland County, Wittman’s home turf, at the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee meeting, followed by a Q&A and canvass launch with Mario Haggerty, Democratic candidate for House of Delegates in District 67. Additional tour stops will be announced soon and at least two weeks in advance of each stop.
Community advocate and business leader Lisa Vedernikova Khanna has released the following statement ahead of her tour launch:
“When Rob Wittman voted to take away health care from 25,000 of his constituents to pay for tax giveaways for his billionaire donors, put one of our district's most important rural hospitals, Rappahannock General, at risk of closure and forced thousands of Virginians into unemployment, he turned his back on us. It's time for someone to hear our concerns, which is why I’m so excited to be launching the Lisa Listens tour.”
Virginian-Pilot: Column: The American dream is a promise worth keeping
By Lisa Vedernikova Khanna
July 23, 2025 - Virginian-Pilot
PRESS RELEASE: VA-01 Candidate Lisa Vedernikova Khanna Outraises the Field 4:1
After setting a district fundraising record in the first 24 hours of her campaign, the community advocate and business leader outraised the next-closest candidate by more than $100,000
For Immediate Release
July 16, 2025
MIDLOTHIAN, VA — Today, Lisa Vedernikova Khanna announced raising nearly $145,000 in less than three weeks, outraising her opponents by more than $100,000 in her first quarter in the race.
In just one month since launching her campaign, Lisa has garnered support from numerous local elected and community leaders, including Virginia State Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy and former Delegate Albert Pollard.
Community advocate and business leader Lisa Vedernikova Khanna has released the following statement on her first quarter fundraising:
“Our campaign to give central and eastern Virginia the representation we all deserve is just getting started. Thank you to everyone who’s put their trust in me, and to those who’ve contributed their hard-earned dollars to help power this movement.
I grew up working class, and I know supporting a campaign means different things to every person. While I’m proud of the financial support we’ve received, I am even more proud of the outpouring of encouragement I’ve received from every corner of the district. Together, we’re building something bigger than any one of us.”
July 3, 2025 - Blue Virginia
June 26, 2025 - Virginia Scope
Lisa Vedernikova Khanna announced a list of endorsements for her campaign to be the Democratic nominee in VA-01 to run against Republican Rep. Rob Wittman.
Lisa Vedernikova Khanna enters race for Virginia's 1st Congressional District
June 11, 2025 - Virginia Scope
Second Democrat Seeks to Challenge Wittman
June 11, 2025 - Richmond Times Dispatch
PRESS RELEASE: Community Advocate and Business Leader Lisa Vedernikova Khanna Announces Run for Congress in Virginia’s First District
Lisa Is a First-Generation American Raised by a Single Mother, Fighting to Defend the American Dream
For Immediate Release
June 11, 2025
MIDLOTHIAN, VA — Today, Democrat Lisa Vedernikova Khanna announced her candidacy to flip Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, one of the most competitive seats in the country. Lisa was raised by a single mother who fled the Soviet Union in search of freedom and opportunity. She grew up facing eviction, bankruptcy, and relying on food assistance programs to get by. While her mother went without healthcare, Lisa only had it because of Medicaid. With the help of strong public schools, a relentless work ethic, and a community that never gave up on them, Lisa worked her way out of poverty and into a successful career in business.
Lisa Vedernikova Khanna, candidate for Virginia’s first congressional district, has released the following statement about her campaign launch:
“I believe in the American Dream because I’ve lived it. My mom came to America from Soviet Russia with nothing but a suitcase and a hope for freedom and stability. Thanks to her sacrifice and the opportunity this country provides, I was able to attend college and build a successful career.
But today, those same opportunities that helped me achieve my dreams are under attack. Too many politicians are kicking the ladder out from under hardworking Americans who are barely getting by. I know how hard families are working because I’ve lived it. I’ve worked since I was 13. Medicaid meant I had health care. Food assistance programs provided school lunch. Like thousands of people in central and eastern Virginia, I depended on those lifelines.
That’s why I’m stepping up. The stakes have never been higher. We need a new generation of leaders who don’t just talk about opportunity, but who knows what it’s like to fight for it. I will never apologize for demanding better. And I won’t stop until families like mine get the fair shot they deserve.”
About Lisa:
Lisa Vedernikova Khanna is the living embodiment of the American Dream. Lisa was raised by an undocumented immigrant, small business owner, single mom, who fled the Soviet Union in pursuit of the freedom that only America could provide.
Life in America wasn’t easy for Lisa or her mom. They were evicted when Lisa was five. She didn’t learn English until she was six. Lisa had to file bankruptcy for her mom when she was a teenager. Lisa relied on free school lunches to get by. But they both worked hard to make it in America. Lisa’s mom worked as a nanny and housekeeper, eventually starting her own housekeeping business. Lisa helped her mom as a housekeeper and by age 13, Lisa was holding down three jobs.
When Lisa was finally able to channel everything into just one career, she took off with roles spanning public service, media, and tech. Throughout this work Lisa learned how to navigate complex, high-intensity, challenges and lead teams toward shared goals.
In Virginia, Lisa and her husband, Harry, have remained deeply involved in their community. Lisa has served on the board of Chesterfield CASA, advocating for abused and neglected children; led revitalization efforts through the Church Hill Association in Richmond; and served as President of the Metro Richmond Area Young Democrats, helping organize and empower the next generation of Democratic leaders.
About VA-01:
VA-01 has been trending Democratic for years and is now one of the most competitive Republican-held districts in the country. Cook Political rates the district as R+3, and it is on both the DCCC and House Majority PAC’s battlefield for the 2026 cycle. While most districts shifted right at the presidential level in 2024 - VA-01 was one of the few competitive districts where Democrats did better in 2024 than we did four years earlier.