CHESTERFIELD, Va. — Amanda Pohl, clerk of the Chesterfield Circuit Court, announced Thursday she is running for Congress in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. Republican Rep. Rob Wittman currently holds the seat.
“I am running to serve in Congress now because when I look at my son and my daughter, I know I want them to live in a country where they have real economic opportunity, to buy a house one day, to afford to live on a full-time salary and work one job, to have clean air to breathe and water to drink, to know that they are getting a high quality education in a safe school, and to have access to life-saving healthcare – including reproductive healthcare,” Pohl said in her announcement.
Wittman, who has served in Congress since 2007, won reelection in 2023 by a 13-point margin. Still, Democrats are optimistic about their chances in the district, pointing to historical trends that show the party in the White House often struggles in midterm elections.
Wittman has already faced pushback from constituents. In February, hundreds of protesters packed one of his mobile office hours in Chesterfield to criticize his vote in support of a budget resolution that would cut federal spending.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced earlier this year that it is targeting Wittman’s seat for the first time.
“Wittman [is] running scared, and [he] should be,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
“From tanking the economy, gutting Medicaid, abandoning our veterans, to making everything more expensive, they’ve broken their promises to Virginians, and it’s going to cost them their seats.”
Pohl is centering her campaign on those same issues.
“Rob Wittman is actively harming our district and willing to sell us out by cutting staff at the VA, refusing to stand up for federal workers who have been laid off, and voting to take away healthcare for tens of thousands in our community,” she said. “We need a strong Democratic candidate to stand up to Rob Wittman — and my record proves that I will not back down from a fight.”
Pohl is currently the only Democrat seeking the nomination.
When it was first reported that Pohl was planning to run against Wittman, President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign senior advisor Chris LaCivita shared a message in response on social media.
“lol…step into the meat grinder,” LaCivita posted.
“Oh fun. Another man who underestimates me,” Pohl responded.