Rob Wittman
Rob Wittman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 1st district | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 11, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Jo Ann Davis |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 99th district | |
| In office January 13, 2006 – December 11, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Albert C. Pollard |
| Succeeded by | Albert C. Pollard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Joseph Wittman February 3, 1959 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Kathryn Sisson |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Virginia Tech (BS) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (MPH) Virginia Commonwealth University (PhD) |
| Website | House website |
Robert Joseph Wittman[1] (born February 3, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 1st congressional district since 2007. The district stretches from the fringes of the Washington suburbs to the Hampton Roads area. He is a member of the Republican Party.[2]
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.[3] He grew up in Henrico County, Virginia. He attended 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.[4] 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.[5]
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 accomplishments in this office were the overhaul of the sewage system and the development of a computerized system for tax billing. 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.
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[6]
- Congressional Constitution Caucus[7]
- United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus[8]
- [9]
- [10]
- Republican Study Committee[11]
Political positions[]
In 2010, Wittman's stated platforms included support for corporate tax cuts, expanding broadband, and cutting spending.[12] He cosponsored legislation that would place a 2-year moratorium on capital gains and dividends taxes, cut the payroll tax rate and the self-employed tax rate in half for two years, and reduce the lowest income brackets by 5% each. He also favors deregulation.[12]
Wittman co-sponsored a personhood bill in Congress that defined life as beginning at conception.[13]
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.[14]
Wittman authored the Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act, designed "to enhance coordination, flexibility and efficiency of restoration efforts," according to Wittman.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17]
Immigration[]
Wittman has said the "immigration system is broken. To keep America strong and prosperous, we need an immigration system that works for the American people."[18] He supports ending chain migration, implementing e-verify, eliminating the visa-lottery system, funding a southern border wall, increased border security and immigration enforcement, and revision of legal immigration.[19] During the 115th Congress, Wittman voted to provide $1.6 billion for border security measures to enforce existing immigration laws, and .[19]
In November 2018, Wittman said that "85 percent [of immigrants] don’t show up for a scheduled court hearing or call to schedule a court hearing." PolitiFact found that his claim was false. Wittman said he got the information from Representative Bob Goodlatte, who in turn said he got it from the conservative website Newsmax, which attributed the claim to an anonymous "senior Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detective".[20]
Health care[]
Wittman opposes the Affordable Care Act and has voted to repeal it.[21] He said that Congress should not merely be "anti-Obamacare" and that Congressional Republicans are ready to provide alternatives if it is deemed unconstitutional.[22] In 2017, he voted for the American Health Care Act, which would have repealed and replaced the ACA.[22]
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[23] 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.[24][25][26]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Wittman and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[27][28] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Wittman and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit, arguing that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[29]
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.[30] 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.[31]
Political campaigns[]
2005[]
Wittman was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates over Democrat Linda M. Crandell.
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.[32] The Independent candidate was Lucky Narain.
2008[]
Wittman was elected to his first full term, defeating Democratic nominee Bill Day and Libertarian Nathan Larson.[33]
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.[22]
2014[]
Wittman defeated Democratic nominee Norm Mosher, Libertarian Xavian Draper, and Independent Green Gail Parker.[34]
2016[]
Wittman defeated Democratic nominee Matt Rowe and Independent Green candidate Gail Parker.[35]
2018[]
Wittman defeated Democratic nominee Vangie Williams.[36] 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.[37]
Electoral history[]
| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democrat | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | [40] | |||
| 2014 | Rob Wittman | 131,861 | 62.9% | Norm Mosher | 72,059 | 34.4% | Gail Parker | Independent Green | 5,097 | 2.4% | [41] | |||
| 2016 | Rob Wittman | 230,213 | 59.8% | Matt Rowe | 140,785 | 36.6% | Gail Parker | Independent Green | 12,866 | 3.3% | [42] | |||
| 2018 | Rob Wittman | 183,250 | 55.2% | Vangie A. Williams | 148,464 | 44.7% | [43] | |||||||
| 2020 | Rob Wittman | 260,614 | 58.2% | Qasim Rashid | 186,923 | 41.7% | [44] |
Personal life[]
Wittman is a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Montross.[4]
References[]
- ^ "Representative Robert Joseph Wittman (Rob) (R-Virginia, 1st) - Biography from LegiStorm". Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ^ "America's First District - U.S. House of Representatives". wittman.house.gov. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ^ "Rob Wittman ancestry". Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: 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.
- ^ "Members". House Baltic Caucus. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
- ^ https://wittman.house.gov/congressional-shipbuilding-caucus/[bare URL]
- ^ http://coausphs.org/awards/congressional-public-health-leadership/[bare URL]
- ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b http://www.robwittmanforcongress.com/on-the-issues.htm[bare URL]
- ^ Davis, Chelyen (October 9, 2012). "Federal debt a focus of 1st District debate". fredericksburg.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ "GOP chairman on cutting future troops' benefits: 'I think that is a place we can go'". Military Times. Archived from the original on 22 November 2013. Retrieved 5 January 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. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ Wittman, Rob (March 26, 2013). "Wittman Introduces Renewable Energy Legislation". votesmart.org. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ https://robwittman.com/immigration/[bare URL]
- ^ Jump up to: a b https://wittman.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=128022[bare URL]
- ^ "Rep. Rob Wittman says 85 percent of immigrants skip their court hearings". @politifact. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
- ^ Writer, By James Ivancic Times Staff. "Rep. Rob Wittman holds town hall in Nokesville". Prince William Times. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Hope for Congress?". Fredericksburg. May 4, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ^ 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 (2020-12-11). "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 2020-12-12.
- ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 2020-12-11. 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.
- ^ Smith, David (2020-12-12). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- ^ "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Jordan (2020-12-11). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lu, Denise (2021-01-07). "The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- ^ Coghill Jr, Taft (2021-01-07). "Wittman votes against certifying Pennsylvania electors". The Free Lance-Star. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- ^ 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. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ "US Rep. Rob Wittman wins GOP primary in Virginia". WTOP. 10 June 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "Rep. Rob Wittman wins re-election in 1st District". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 8 November 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ "Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
- ^ "Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
- ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 2007-07-25. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ^ "Election results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2010-06-17. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ^ 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 12 May 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- ^ Virginia State Board of Elections. "Election Results: Member of House of Representatives (01)". November 2014 General Election Official Results. Virginia.gov. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ Virginia State Board of Elections. "Election Results: Member of House of Representatives (01)". November 2016 General Election Official Results. Virginia.gov. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ Virginia State Board of Elections. "Election Results: Member of House of Representatives". Virginia.gov.
- ^ "2020 November General". results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rob Wittman. |
- Congressman Rob Wittman official U.S. House website
- Rob Wittman for Congress
- Rob Wittman at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
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- 1959 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- American adoptees
- American Episcopalians
- Living people
- Mayors of places in Virginia
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
- Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
- People from Montross, Virginia
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health alumni
- Virginia city council members
- Virginia Commonwealth University alumni
- Virginia Republicans
- Virginia Tech alumni
- American people of German descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Canadian descent