Government | Politics 2023: ROB WITTMAN

Elected to Congress in 2007, Republican Wittman represents parts of Richmond’s suburbs, as well as the Peninsula and regions east of Fredericksburg on the Chesapeake Bay. As of January, he chairs the House Armed Services Committee, and serves on the Natural Resources Committee.

Although Wittman has co-sponsored bipartisan legislation (such as a workforce training bill he and Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger introduced in March) and condemned acts of violence committed during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, he voted against certifying Pennsylvania electors in 2021.

A Henrico County native, Wittman received a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina and a Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University. He worked as an environmental health specialist and field director for the Virginia Department of Health’s shellfish sanitation division.

Wittman served on the Montross Town Council for a decade and was the town’s mayor. After sitting on the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors for nine years, he won a seat in the state House of Delegates in 2005. Wittman then won a 2007 special election to complete U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis’ term following her death from cancer.