1st District Candidate Rob Wittman (R)
Campaign Website:
https://robwittman.com/
Candidate Questionnaire from VPM:
Wittman did not respond to the questionnaire, so VPM News has compiled publicly available information — biographical facts, public statements, interviews, voting records, etc. — to provide answers when possible.
Where in Virginia do you live?
Rob Wittman has long lived in the Town of Montross, in Westmoreland County.
What is your current job? How would you describe your career?
Wittman has served as the representative of Virginia's 1st Congressional District since December 2007. He’s currently the vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.
He serves as vice chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, is a member of the Energy and Mineral Resources Committee and the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee.
Wittman is also on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
List any college degrees or professional certifications you hold.
Rob Wittman holds a doctorate in public policy and administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, a masters in public health policy and administration from the University of North Carolina, and a bachelor's degree in biology from Virginia Tech.
Have you served in an elected or appointed political office before? When, where and in what position?
Wittman was previously the field director for the Virginia Health Department's Division of Shellfish Sanitation. He also worked as an environmental health specialist for local health departments in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.
His first elected position was to the Montross Town Council in 1986, the town where he later served as mayor. He went on to serve on the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors.
Please describe any ways you’ve used generative artificial intelligence in your campaign.
Rob Wittman has not publicly addressed AI usage in his congressional campaign.
What should constituents know about you?
Wittman did not provide an answer.
In a word or phrase, tell us: What do you think your race is about?
In an interview with Sinclair’s National News Desk, Rob Wittman said, "This is an election of contrast. It's about my record of leadership and experience, about working hard to make sure we're protecting military families and veterans, lowering costs, strengthening local economies and businesses."
He continued: "We've had a very strong record of doing that. We want to make sure we continue to work on those things and serve the great constituents here in America's 1st District.”
How should the federal government address the ongoing affordability challenges?
In an interview with Virginia Mercury, Rob Wittman laid the region's affordability woes on energy cost and “red tape” regulations, like Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s move to curb carbon emissions by rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
“Those additional regulatory requirements that don’t provide any value to Virginia customers are driving costs as well as the additional regulations, the additional taxes that have been put in place by the Virginia General Assembly,” Wittman said.
From Wittman’s campaign website: “The federal government’s role should be to eliminate barriers to success, not create them. That means supporting working families, maintaining a competitive tax code, producing affordable American energy, modernizing permitting, and removing unnecessary regulations that increase costs and prevent businesses from expanding.”
What is one topic you think the current Congress has failed to address, and why?
In an interview with WFXR in Roanoke, Rob Wittman cited reducing energy and affordability cost as a primary concern heard among residents.
From Wittman’s campaign website: “Affordable, reliable energy is essential to America’s economic strength, national security, and quality of life…Producing more energy here at home creates good-paying American jobs, lowers costs for families and businesses, and reduces our dependence on foreign adversaries.”
What kinds of proposals should Congress consider as data centers become more common nationwide?
In an interview with Virginia Mercury, Wittman said commonwealth counties and cities should ultimately decide if data centers should be permitted within their local localities, but that they should “require developers to pay for the infrastructure upgrades and energy generation needed for the facility.”
Wittman has expressed support for protecting ratepayers in Virginia as he voted in support of the passage ofHR 9340, also known as the Ratepayer Protection Act.
“Data centers are important to Virginia’s economy, our technological leadership, and our national security,”Wittman said in a statement. “But Virginia families and small businesses should not be forced to subsidize the infrastructure needed to serve them.”
[caption id="attachment_474291" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Democrat Shannon Taylor will face incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman (R–1st) in the general election. (Taylor photo: Courtesy/Taylor campaign; Wittman photo: Shaban Athuman/VPM News File)[/caption]
Where do you stand on abortion, and do you believe there’s a role for federal legislation in regulating abortion?
Wittman indicated his opposition to abortion rights in hisstatement following the US Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
"I am 100% pro-life, and as a child of adoption, this topic is very personal to me,” Wittman stated. “I support the decision made today by the Supreme Court to return the issue of abortion back to the states.”
In previous interviews, Wittman also signaled support toward access to contraceptives, but historically, he has voted against measures that would preserve Virginia’s access to reproductive care.
From Wittman’s campaign website: “I will continue supporting pro-family policies that protect life, respect parents’ central role in raising their children, and ensure families have the support they need to thrive. That includes preserving access to IVF, improving maternal health, strengthening foster care and adoption services, lowering costs for working families, and expanding practical child care options.”
Wittman’s voting record includes his support towardmeasures to defund Planned Parenthood and bills likeHR 6703, which restrict or ban abortion coverage in certain health plans. He also voted against theWomen’s Health Protection Act and theRight to Contraception Act, bills that prohibit governmental restrictions on the provision of and access to abortion contraceptive services.
What is your stance on the United States’ foreign policy with Iran?
From Wittman’s campaign website: “America’s objective must be peace through strength. A capable, ready, and modern military deters conflict by convincing our adversaries that aggression will fail.”
Wittmanpreviously expressed the desire to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear arms and the need to “dismantle Iranian military capabilities targeting Americans.”
During the course of the war in Iran, he has repeatedly voted against a resolution that directs the President to halt military actions in Iran without congressional approval and has publicly backed the $1.5 trillion defense spending budget proposed by President Donald Trump,according to the Virginia Mercury.
“We have to make sure that we are modernizing the military. The only way that we deter adversaries from acting badly is to have a strong military,” Wittman said. “The strategy of peace through strength works.”
What is your stance on the use of Flock or other automatic license plate readers in your district?
Wittman’s stance on Flock — one of the nation’s largest providers of ALPRs — hasn’t publicly been stated, though he’s previously expressed staunch support of new technology and collaborative opportunities among public safety agencies.
From Wittman’s campaign website: “Law enforcement officers across the commonwealth deserve every tool available to protect the communities they serve. Eliminating structured cooperation between state and federal authorities weakens our ability to ensure dangerous individuals do not slip through bureaucratic cracks.”
What is the largest issue facing your district right now, and how would you work to address it from Washington, DC?
Priorities listed on Rob Wittman’s campaign website include border security, access to broadband, education, energy, environmental conservation, fiscal responsibility, health, the economy, transportation and infrastructure, and veteran services.
A hospital or multiple health care centers in your district are at risk of service cuts/closure due to Medicaid changes. How would you advocate for your district’s health and wellness?
Rob Wittman has expressed support for uninterrupted access to quality medical care, especially in rural communities, and garnered support toward filling healthcare gaps among Virginian localities.
He supported the creation of the Rural Health Transformation Program, which is investing $50 billion nationwide to strengthen rural hospitals and health systems. (Virginia has been awarded nearly $192 million.)
From Wittman’s campaign website: “I am working to build a health care system that protects individuals with pre-existing conditions, preserves access for vulnerable Americans, and gives families greater control over their health care options and dollars.”
Wittman has also previously voted and supported extensions ofAffordable Care Act credits before ultimately voting to let the credits end at the end of 2025. However, over the course of his tenure in Congress, he hasvoted 60 times to undo the ACA subsidies. The longtime congressman also voted for HR 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” whichslashed federal healthcare benefits for up to 300,000 Virginians.
He initially opposed the spending bill before ultimately voting for it in July 2025, and defended his support inan interview with VPM News at the time: “Yeah, I voted ‘yes’ to pass the bill. I thought it had good necessary reforms to make sure that Medicaid is sustainable — to make sure, too, that we’re doing the things necessary to protect our vulnerable populations and make sure that they have access to those benefits.”
Where do you stand on the pending Dominion Energy–NextEra merger?
Wittman hasn’t publicly provided his stance on the pending $67 billion merger between the two utility giants.
The congressman has faced criticism from Taylor for his financial filings with the clerk of the House of Representatives, which show that as of 2025, he owned “no more than 80 shares” of NextEra Energy stock,according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
A spokesperson for Wittman’s office stated that the holdings were inherited and that he “does not actively manage his savings and investments to maintain an appropriate arm’s-length distance from the professionals who do.”
Wittman has advocated for more transparency among elected officials' financial dealings in the recent past.From his campaign website: “Members of Congress were elected to serve their constituents, not their stock portfolios. I was proud to vote in support of this legislation to strengthen transparency, hold lawmakers accountable, and restore Americans’ trust in the elected officials working on their behalf.”
How confident are you that the 2026 Virginia midterm elections will be free and fair?
Wittman has previously voiced support for increased election integrity protections, most notably his support of theSAVE America Act.
The election reform bill championed by Trump would require would-be voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. (Virginia already requires voters to attest that they are US citizens during the registration process.)