Virginia 1st District Voter Guide: Wittman and Taylor on Health Care and Data Centers
Two candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot in Virginia's 1st Congressional District, according to the Virginia Department of Elections candidate list: Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman and Democrat Shannon Taylor. The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares where they stand on health care and data centers.
The district runs along the western Chesapeake Bay and into suburban Richmond, including western Henrico and Chesterfield counties, Mechanicsville and Williamsburg, according to Wikipedia's summary of the district. Wittman has held the seat since a 2007 special election and won reelection in 2024 with 56.3 percent of the vote, according to Wikipedia's summary of the results.
Why Health Care and Data Centers Are Issues in Virginia's 1st District
The Cook Political Report rates the race a Toss Up in its Oct. 23, 2026 ratings. Sabato's Crystal Ball also lists it as a Toss-up, as of Sept. 29, according to Wikipedia's ratings table. A Washington Post-Schar School poll of 609 likely voters, conducted Sept. 23-28 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 points, found Taylor at 50 percent and Wittman at 46 percent. Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm, found Taylor at 47 percent and Wittman at 46 percent in an Oct. 21-22 survey, according to Wikipedia's poll table.
Taylor answered a candidate survey from VPM News; Wittman did not, and VPM compiled his public statements instead. The positions below come from that survey, his statements and both campaigns.
On health care, the TDFP video says Wittman "backs rural health funding and extending ACA tax credits" and "voted for the 2025 Medicaid cut budget law." It says Taylor "would restore ACA and rural hospital funding, cut drug costs, and oppose Medicare and Medicaid privatization."
On data centers, the video says Wittman "would let localities decide and require developers to pay for infrastructure upgrades and energy generation." It says Taylor "would let localities say no and require developers to cover energy, water, transmission, and noise costs."
Rob Wittman (Republican, Incumbent)
Wittman, a former marine scientist, is the vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
On health care, Wittman was one of 17 House Republicans who voted in January for a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits, Virginia Mercury reported. He supported creating the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion fund for rural hospitals, VPM reported. He voted for the 2025 budget law that included Medicaid changes, and told VPM at the time: "I thought it had good necessary reforms to make sure that Medicaid is sustainable." His campaign website says: "I am working to build a health care system that protects individuals with pre-existing conditions, preserves access for vulnerable Americans, and gives families greater control over their health care options and dollars."
On data centers, Wittman told Virginia Mercury that counties and cities should decide whether to allow data centers, but should "require developers to pay for the infrastructure upgrades and energy generation needed for the facility," VPM reported. "Data centers are important to Virginia's economy, our technological leadership, and our national security," he said in a statement. "But Virginia families and small businesses should not be forced to subsidize the infrastructure needed to serve them."
Shannon Taylor (Democrat)
Taylor has been the Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney for 14 years, according to her campaign, and won a seven-candidate Democratic primary in August.
On health care, Taylor told VPM: "I will fight to restore the Affordable Care Act to ensure that rural hospitals and clinics get the funding they need. I will fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs, make medical billing transparent, and oppose the privatization of Medicare and Medicaid." She blamed Wittman's votes for financial strain on Rappahannock General Hospital, which she said is at risk of closing; that is her claim.
On data centers, Taylor said: "No Virginian should pay a dime more for energy or water because of data centers." She said data centers "must fully cover their own operational and infrastructure costs including water, electricity, and the construction of new transmission lines," and fund noise buffers. "If a community does not want a data center, it must have the right to say no," she said. She also said Wittman owns stock in companies building data centers; Wittman has said his investments are managed independently, Virginia Mercury reported.
Where to Follow the Candidates
Rob Wittman: @RobWittman on X and robwittman.com. Shannon Taylor: @ShannonTaylorVA on X and shannontaylorva.com.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Virginia voters can check their registration and polling place at elections.virginia.gov. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Virginia Department of Elections, Nov. 3, 2026 candidate list: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/candidate-list/november-3-2026-gen-elect-all-offices/ ; VPM News, 1st District candidate survey: https://www.vpm.org/elections/2026-09-23/va01-taylor-wittman-candidate-survey/ ; Virginia Mercury, Wittman among 17 Republicans to back ACA credits extension (Jan. 15, 2026): https://virginiamercury.com/2026/01/15/virginia-congressman-wittman-among-just-17-republicans-nationally-to-back-aca-credits-extension/ ; Virginia Mercury, Wittman's defense-industry ties (Oct. 28, 2026): https://virginiamercury.com/2026/10/28/wittmans-defense-industry-ties-draw-scrutiny-as-he-seeks-armed-services-gavel/ ; Washington Post-Schar School poll (Oct. 1, 2026): https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/01/shannon-taylor-has-edge-over-rob-wittman-virginia-house-district-post-poll-finds/ ; Rob Wittman for Congress: https://robwittman.com/issues/ ; Shannon Taylor for Congress: https://shannontaylorva.com/ ; Cook Political Report House ratings: https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings ; Wikipedia, 2026 U.S. House elections in Virginia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Virginia
Comments