Rep. Rob Wittman, R-VA01, acknowledged Thursday that his reelection race against Democratic nominee Shannon Taylor is close but pushed back against attacks over his personal finances and congressional record.
“We always knew this race was going to be close,” Wittman said in an interview with Virginia Scope, when asked about a new poll showing Taylor with a four-point lead.
Wittman, who has represented the district since 2007, said outside Democratic groups have poured millions of dollars into the district and that his campaign is preparing new advertising ahead of Election Day.
The latest numbers from VPAP show that groups have spent more than $4 million either in support of Taylor or against Wittman. A little more than $150,000 has been spent in support of Wittman, or against Taylor.
Taylor announced Thursday morning that her campaign raised more than $2 million in the third quarter, bringing her total to more than $4 million for this election.
Taylor has attacked Wittman over his personal finances and stock holdings, accusing him of getting rich while in office.
Wittman rejected those claims, saying the house featured in a recent campaign ad is the same house he and his wife, Catherine, built in 1985.
He also pushed back on Taylor’s claims that he has voted repeatedly for congressional pay raises.
“My salary when I started in ‘07 is the same as it is today,” Wittman said, adding that Congress has repeatedly voted to cancel an automatic pay increase included in federal law.
Wittman also denied personally trading stocks while in Congress.
“I’ve never traded a stock in my entire life,” he said — clarifying that a financial adviser manages his investments and does not communicate with him about individual investment decisions.
Taylor’s campaign has highlighted Wittman’s financial disclosures and stock holdings in its advertising. Wittman pointed to a recent NBC12 report that he said found portions of Taylor’s advertising to be misleading. His campaign has also published a point-by-point response on his website.
Wittman on Trump
Wittman also discussed his relationship with President Donald Trump, who remains unpopular in Virginia. Nearly 6 in 10 voters in VA-01 disapprove of Trump’s job performance, with 52 percent “strongly” disapproving, according to the latest poll from The Washington Post.
Trump won Virginia’s 1st Congressional District by about 5 percentage points in 2024, while Wittman won reelection by 13.
Wittman said he supports Trump’s efforts to expand domestic energy production and infrastructure, particularly additional refining capacity.
But he also pointed to areas where he has disagreed with the administration.
Wittman said he opposed the administration’s proposal to eliminate funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program, arguing that the federal government has a responsibility to address an environmental issue that spans six states.
He also said he voted to override Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act.
“I think that’s a place where I disagree with the president,” Wittman said.
Energy remains a priority
Looking ahead to another term, Wittman said his priority would be modernizing the country’s energy infrastructure and changing the process for approving new energy generation.
He pointed to nuclear power, including small modular reactors, as well as fusion technology being developed by Virginia-based Commonwealth Fusion Systems.
“We have to modernize that,” Wittman said of the nation’s energy approval process. “We have to make sure we’re using all of the above sources of energy, including nuclear power.”
Wittman said reliable and affordable energy is critical to the broader economy.
“Everything … in our economy is tied to affordable and reliable sourcing of energy,” he said.