Rep. Rob Wittman (R)

The congressman from the 1st District is Rob Wittman, a Republican who won a special election in December 2007. He replaced Republican Jo Ann Davis, who died of breast cancer two months earlier. Wittman was born in Washington, D.C., and became a marine scientist. He also has a Ph.D. in public policy and administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. Wittman served for many years as an environmental health specialist in the Northern Neck and Peninsula regions, including as field director for the state’s shellfish sanitation division. His first public office was a seat on the Montross Town Council, where he served for 10 years, including four as mayor. In 1995, he began a decade on the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors. In 2005, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.

Republicans chose their nominee to succeed Davis at a party convention five weeks after her death. Wittman’s chief opponent was Paul Jost, a businessman and anti-tax activist who lost to Davis 35%-30% in 2000. The low-key Wittman cited his experience in public office and “the basics of good government.” With help from several busloads of supporters, Jost led in the earlier balloting, which began with 11 candidates. The key moment came after five ballots, when Davis’s widower, Chuck Davis, threw his support to Wittman, who became the compromise candidate.

Democrats nominated Philip Forgit, a school teacher and Navy reservist who won a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. He described himself as a centrist and called for improved training to bring strategic change in Iraq. Wittman emphasized his conservative credentials, including his support for gun rights and opposition to abortion. He also touted the fact that House Minority Leader John Boehner had pledged to give him a seat on the Armed Services Committee. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee paid little attention to the contest in this heavily Republican district. Wittman won the low-turnout contest 61%-37%, carrying all 18 counties.

In the House, Wittman got a seat on Armed Services as promised, and also a seat on the Natural Resources Committee, another good fit for his district’s issues. He bucked his party as one of 33 House Republicans to support creation of an office of congressional ethics, which for the first time would give an outside panel the power to investigate the misdeeds of lawmakers. On local issues, he helped to secure a Commerce Department declaration in September 2008 that the Chesapeake had become a “commercial fishery failure,” which opened the door to economic aid to the bay’s struggling watermen. He was elected to a full term with a smaller share of 57%-42%, but with five times as many votes as the special election.