Summary
Current Position: US Representative since 2008
Affiliation: Republican
Former Positions: State Delegate from 2006 – 2008; Montross Town Council from 1996 – 2005
District: Includes the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown
Mission: Rob is committed to getting things done. From rebuilding our Navy to increasing access to broadband, to making sure our children have a 21st-century education, he is constantly working for the First District.
OnAir Post: Rob Wittman – VA01
News
About
Rob Wittman was first elected to serve the First Congressional District of Virginia – America’s First District – in December of 2007. He was re-elected for his fifth full term in the House of Representatives in November 2016. For more than 20 years, Rob has served in several levels of government, from Montross Town Council to United States Congress. Rob won his first campaign for public office in 1986 when he was elected to the Montross Town Council, where he served for 10 years, four of them as Mayor. In 1995, Rob was elected to the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors and was elected its Chairman in 2003. In 2005, voters in the 99th Legislative District elected Rob to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served until he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2007.
In the U.S. Congress, Rob serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Natural Resources, where he is well-positioned to represent the needs of Virginia’s First District. He has quickly earned a reputation for being an advocate for our men and women in uniform and for being a champion of the Chesapeake Bay.
On the Armed Services Committee, Rob serves as the Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. In addition, as Co-Chair of the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus, he is a staunch advocate for a robust Naval fleet and a healthy domestic shipbuilding industry. Rob has served as Chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors since 2010.
As a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Rob brings his professional expertise in water quality, fisheries, and other natural resource issues. He is a champion of the Chesapeake Bay — for its environmental and economic attributes — and has introduced legislation that will increase the accountability and effectiveness of cleaning up the Bay. He serves as co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Caucus, which brings Bay issues into focus for Members of Congress.
Prior to his election to Congress, Rob spent 26 years working in state government, most recently as Field Director for the Virginia Health Department’s Division of Shellfish Sanitation. Earlier, he worked for many years as an environmental health specialist for local health departments in Virginia’s Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions.
He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Virginia Tech.
Rob’s wife, Kathryn, a teacher at Cople Elementary School in Hague, Virginia, is a Westmoreland County native whom he met when he spent high school and college summer recesses working in a Leedstown tomato cannery and on a Reedville fishing boat in the Northern Neck. They live in Montross and have two children: daughter Devon, son-in-law Daniel Gooch, son Josh, and daughter-in-law Tiffany. They also have four grandchildren.
Rob is an avid hunter and fisherman, and when possible, he enjoys spending time with his yellow Labrador Retrievers.
Personal
Full Name: Robert ‘Rob’ J. Wittman
Gender: Male
Family: Wife: Kathryn; 2 Children: Devon, Josh
Birth Date: 02/03/1959
Birth Place: Washington, DC
Home City: Montross, VA
Religion: Christian
Education
PhD, Public Policy and Administration, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1992
MPH, Health Policy and Administration, University of North Carolina, 1989
BS, Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1981
Offices
Washington DC Office
2055 Rayburn Bldg
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4261
Hanover Office
6501 Mechanicsville Turnpike #102
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
Phone: 804-730-6595
Stafford Office
95 Dunn Drive Ste. 201
Stafford, Virginia 22556
Phone: (540) 659-2734
Tappahannock Office
508 Church Lane P.O. Box 3106
Tappahannock, VA 22560
Phone: (804) 443-0668
Contact
Email: Government
Web Links
More Information
District
Source: Wikipedia
The district is sometimes referred to as “America’s First District” since it includes the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. In the 18th and early 19th century, it comprised northwestern Virginia (that became Frederick County, Virginia as well as the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia after the American Civil War). The district includes major military installations and has been represented by Republican Rob Wittman since 2007.
In 2016, the adjacent 3rd district was ruled unconstitutional. New districts have been drawn.
Services
Source: Government page
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Wikipedia
Robert Joseph Wittman[1] (born February 3, 1959)[2] is an American politician and environmental health specialist serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia’s 1st congressional district since 2007. A member of the Republican Party, his district contains portions of the Richmond suburbs and Hampton Roads area, as well as the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.[3][4][5]
Early life, education and career
Wittman was born in Washington, D.C., the son of adoptive parents Regina C. (née Wood) and Frank Joseph Wittman. His father was of German descent and his mother’s ancestors included immigrants from Ireland and Canada.[6] He grew up in Henrico County, Virginia. He attended the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) as a member of the Corps of Cadets and Army ROTC and studied biology. While at Virginia Tech, he spent the summers working at a tomato cannery and on a fishing vessel. Also while in college, Wittman was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1990 and a Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2002.[7] Wittman worked for 20 years with the Virginia Department of Health. He served as an environmental health specialist and was field director for the Division of Shellfish Sanitation.[8]
Wittman served on the Montross Town Council from 1986 to 1996 and as mayor of the Town of Montross from 1992 to 1996. Two of his major initiatives in this office were the overhaul of the sewage system and the development of a computerized system for tax billing.[citation needed] From 1996 to 2005, Wittman served on the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors, the last two years as chair. He helped create new libraries and pushed for raises in teacher salaries.[citation needed]
Virginia House of Delegates
In 2005, Wittman was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 99th district. He served on the Agricultural; Chesapeake and Natural Resources; and Police and Public Safety Committees.
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- House Baltic Caucus[10]
- Congressional Constitution Caucus[11]
- United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus[12]
- Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus[13]
- Congressional Public Health Caucus[14]
- Republican Study Committee[15]
- Congressional Blockchain Caucus[16]
- Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus[17]
- Rare Disease Caucus[18]
- Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans[19]
- Congressional Western Caucus[20]
Political positions
Wittman co-sponsored a personhood bill in Congress that defined life as beginning at conception.[21]
In 2012, Wittman said he would consider cutting pay and benefits for service members who join the military in the future in order to avoid closing bases or cutting the number of military personnel.[22]
Wittman authored the Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act, designed “to enhance coordination, flexibility and efficiency of restoration efforts,” according to Wittman.[23] After several senators sponsored a bill to reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, Wittman introduced a version of the bill for House members to consider.[24] He proposed the Advancing Offshore Wind Production Act (H.R. 1398), which he said was designed to simplify the process companies must go through to test and develop offshore wind power.[25]
Health care
Wittman opposes the Affordable Care Act and has voted to repeal it.[26] He said that Congress should not merely be “anti-Obamacare” and that congressional Republicans are ready to provide alternatives if it is deemed unconstitutional.[27] In 2017, he voted for the American Health Care Act, which would have repealed and replaced the ACA.[27]
Texas v. Pennsylvania
In December 2020, Wittman was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[28] incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[29][30][31]
Certification of 2020 presidential election
On January 6, 2021, Wittman was one of the 147 Republican members of the U.S. Congress who objected to certifying the 2020 presidential election.[32] He voted against certifying Pennsylvania’s electors after a day of violence as the U.S. Capitol was breached by Trump supporters who disrupted proceedings, despite no clear evidence of widespread voter fraud.[33]
Political campaigns
2005
Wittman was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates over Democrat Linda M. Crandell with 62% of the vote.[34]
2007
Wittman was reelected to the Virginia House of Delegates unopposed.
On December 11, 2007, Wittman was first elected to the United States Congress to succeed the late congresswoman Jo Ann Davis, who died in October 2007. He was heavily favored in the special election due to the 1st’s heavy Republican bent; it has been in Republican hands since 1977.[35] The Independent candidate was Lucky Narain.
2008
Wittman was elected to his first full term, defeating Democratic nominee Bill Day and Libertarian Nathan Larson.[36]
2010
Wittman was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Krystal Ball and Independent Green candidate Gail Parker.
2012
Wittman was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Adam Cook and Independent Green candidate Gail Parker.[27]
2014
Wittman defeated Democratic nominee Norm Mosher, Libertarian Xavian Draper, and Independent Green Gail Parker.[37]
2016
Wittman defeated Democratic nominee Matt Rowe and Independent Green candidate Gail Parker.[38]
2018
Wittman defeated Democratic nominee Vangie Williams.[39] With the Republicans losing their remaining seat based in the Washington suburbs, as well as seats in Hampton Roads and the Richmond suburbs, Wittman was left as the only Republican holding a seat east of Charlottesville.
2020
Wittman defeated Democratic nominee Qasim Rashid.[40]
2022
Wittman defeated Democratic nominee Herb Jones and Independent David Foster.[41]
2024
Wittman defeated Democratic nominee Leslie Mehta.[42]
Personal life
Wittman is an Episcopalian[43] and a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Montross.[7] He is married and has two children.[44]
Electoral history
| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democrat | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | Source | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Rob Wittman | 42,772 | 61% | Philip Forgit | 26,282 | 37% | Lucky Narain | Independent | 1,253 | 2% | ||||
| 2008 | Rob Wittman | 203,839 | 57% | Bill Day | 150,432 | 42% | Nathan Larson | Libertarian | 5,265 | 1% | ||||
| 2010 | Rob Wittman | 135,564 | 64% | Krystal Ball | 73,824 | 35% | Gail Parker | Independent Green | 2,544 | 1% | ||||
| 2012 | Rob Wittman | 200,845 | 56% | Adam M. Cook | 147,036 | 41% | Gail Parker | Independent Green | 8,308 | 2% | [48] | |||
| 2014 | Rob Wittman | 131,861 | 62.9% | Norm Mosher | 72,059 | 34.4% | Gail Parker | Independent Green | 5,097 | 2.4% | [49] | |||
| 2016 | Rob Wittman | 230,213 | 59.8% | Matt Rowe | 140,785 | 36.6% | Gail Parker | Independent Green | 12,866 | 3.3% | [50] | |||
| 2018 | Rob Wittman | 183,250 | 55.2% | Vangie A. Williams | 148,464 | 44.7% | [51] | |||||||
| 2020 | Rob Wittman | 260,614 | 58.2% | Qasim Rashid | 186,923 | 41.7% | [52] | |||||||
| 2022 | Rob Wittman | 191,828 | 56.0% | Herb Jones | 147,229 | 43.0% | David Foster | Independent | 3,388 | 1.0% | ||||
| 2024 | Rob Wittman | 269,657 | 56.31% | Leslie C. Mehta | 208,445 | 43.53% | Write-in | 804 | 0.17% | [53] | ||||
References
- ^ “Virginia House of Delegates History: Robert Joseph “Rob” Wittman”. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ “WITTMAN, Robert J. 1959 –”. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
- ^ “America’s First District – U.S. House of Representatives”. wittman.house.gov. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ^ “Virginia First Congressional District Election Results”. The New York Times. November 8, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Wittman House – About
- ^ “Rob Wittman ancestry”. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ a b “Rob Wittman”. dela.state.va.us. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ “About Rob”. Rob Wittman. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ “Wittman Named Vice Chairman of Armed Services Committee, Chairman of Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee for 118th Congress”. January 25, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ “Members”. House Baltic Caucus. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ “Members”. Congressional Constitution Caucus. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ “Our Members”. U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
- ^ “Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus | U.S. Representative Rob Wittman”. Archived from the original on February 23, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ “Congressional Public Health Leadership | Commissioned Officers Association”. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015.
- ^ “Member List”. Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- ^ “Members”. Congressional Blockchain Caucus. July 13, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ “Strengthening Conservation Advocacy: Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus Expansion & Reconstitution”. National Wildlife Refuge Association. December 15, 2023. Archived from the original on January 28, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ “Rare Disease Congressional Caucus”. Every Life Foundation for Rare Diseases. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
- ^ “Members of the Caucus on U.S. – Türkiye Relations & Turkish Americans”. Turkish Coalition of America. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ^ “Caucus Memberships”. Congressional Western Caucus. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ Davis, Chelyen (October 9, 2012). “Federal debt a focus of 1st District debate”. fredericksburg.com. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ “GOP chairman on cutting future troops’ benefits: ‘I think that is a place we can go’“. Military Times. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ “WITTMAN CHESAPEAKE BAY LEGISLATION PASSES THE HOUSE”. wittman.house.gov. February 6, 2014. Archived from the original on June 13, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ “Senate Bill Pushes for Wetlands Conservation Act Reauthorization”. floridasportsman.com. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ Wittman, Rob (March 26, 2013). “Wittman Introduces Renewable Energy Legislation”. votesmart.org. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ Writer, James Ivancic Times Staff (March 25, 2019). “Rep. Rob Wittman holds town hall in Nokesville”. Prince William Times. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c “Hope for Congress?”. Fredericksburg. May 4, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). “Biden officially secures enough electors to become president”. AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). “Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ “Order in Pending Case” (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Diaz, Daniella. “Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court”. CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lu, Denise (January 7, 2021). “The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Coghill Jr, Taft (January 7, 2021). “Wittman votes against certifying Pennsylvania electors”. The Free Lance-Star. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ “Virginia Elections Database » 2005 House of Delegates General Election District 99”. Virginia Elections Database. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ Giroux, Greg (December 11, 2007). “Republican Wittman Wins Virginia House Seat in Special Election”. CQ Politics. Archived from the original on November 29, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ “District Detail: VA-01”. Congressional Quarterly. Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ “US Rep. Rob Wittman wins GOP primary in Virginia”. WTOP. June 10, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ “Rep. Rob Wittman wins re-election in 1st District”. Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 8, 2016. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ “Virginia’s 1st Congressional District election, 2018”. Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ “Virginia’s 1st Congressional District election, 2020”. Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ “2022 November General Official Results”. elections.virginia.gov. Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
- ^ “Virginia’s 1st Congressional District Election Results, 2024”. The New York Times. November 5, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ “Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress” (PDF). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2023.
- ^ “Virginia Tech Magazine | Alumnus Profile”. www.archive.vtmag.vt.edu. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
- ^ “Election Statistics”. Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Archived from the original on July 25, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ “Election results”. Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ “Virginia House Election Results 2022: Live Map | Midterm Races by District”. Politico.
- ^ Virginia State Board of Elections. “Election Results: Member of House of Representatives (01)”. November 2012 General Election Official Results. Virginia.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ Virginia State Board of Elections. “Election Results: Member of House of Representatives (01)”. November 2014 General Election Official Results. Virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ Virginia State Board of Elections. “Election Results: Member of House of Representatives (01)”. November 2016 General Election Official Results. Virginia.gov. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ Virginia State Board of Elections. “Election Results: Member of House of Representatives”. Virginia.gov. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ “2020 November General”. results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ “2024 November General November 5, 2024 OFFICIAL RESULTS”. enr.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 8, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
External links
- Congressman Rob Wittman official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
