As has been anticipated for weeks, Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor (“A Proven Fighter for Our Community”) has entered the race for the Democratic nomination in VA01 to take on the abysmally bad Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA01) next year. VA01 is a district that’s tough (e.g., Trump won it in 2024 by 5.1 points; Wittman won reelection in 2024 by nearly 12.8 points), but potentially winnable in a “blue wave” year with a strong Democratic candidate/campaign. My understanding is that Taylor was heavily recruited by the DCCC to run for this seat, which is one of the seats held by an incumbent Republican that they’re targeting next year.
So with that, check out Taylor’s announcement video, below, which says:
“I’m Shannon Taylor, Henriico’s top prosecutor. And today I’m launching my campaign against Rob Wittman. Because Congressman Wittman seems to think that he can rip away the health care of 300,000 Virginians to give a massive tax cut to his billionaire donors and lie straight to our face about it. All while we still struggle with high taxes and out-of-control costs.
My life’s work has been protecting families from fraudsters and scammers who rip us off; locking up gang members and violent criminals; taking on white supremacists, the Ku Klux Clan, and the NRA. And I protected women when we lost our abortion rights.
Now, I’m ready to prosecute the case against Rob Wittman. Because honesty, integrity, and the rule of law should mean something. The voters of Virginia’s First deserve a representative who’s got our back no matter what. I hope you’ll join me.”
P.S. Taylor joins fellow Democrats Tim Cywinski, Amanda Pohl, Lisa Vedernikova Khanna, Melvin Tull, Andrew Lucchetti, Salaam Bhatti, Sean Sublette and James Shea (let me know if I’m missing anyone) in this race. So clearly, a LOT of Democrats are itching to take on Wittman – and for good reason, as the guy is both a terrible Congressman *and* potentially beatable.
UPDATE: Interesting new poll results…particularly that only 32% of voters approve of Rob Wittman’s job performance, also that a potentialy Wittman vs. Taylor race is virtually tied.
New HMP Polling Shows Shannon Taylor Neck and Neck with Rob Wittman in VA-01
New polling released as Shannon Taylor launches 2026 campaign to oust Rep. Rob Wittman
Washington, D.C. – A new House Majority PAC survey of VA-01 finds Democratic candidate Shannon Taylor locked in a dead heat with GOP Rep. Rob Wittman—and well-positioned to win.
HMP’s poll found:
- Shannon Taylor and Rob Wittman are running neck and neck: In a head-to-head matchup, 40% of VA-01 constituents said they would vote for Shannon Taylor and 41% said they would vote for Rob Wittman, with 19% undecided. Notably, the undecided voters in this matchup backed Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by 15 points in the presidential election—if they broke the same way here, Shannon Taylor would win the election.
- Rob Wittman’s approval rating is underwater: When VA-01 constituents were asked if they approved or disapproved of Rep. Rob Wittman’s job performance, 37% said they disapproved, while just 32% said they approved. 31% said they were not sure.
- VA-01 constituents are deeply concerned about Rob Wittman’s record: After learning that Rob Wittman supports new tariffs that raise costs and voted for a Republican budget that cuts Medicaid and SNAP while giving billionaires tax breaks, 49% said this gave them very serious concerns and 7% said it gave them somewhat serious concerns about Rob Wittman.
- The generic ballot in VA-01 is dead even: In a generic congressional matchup, 47% of VA-01 constituents said they would vote for the Democratic candidate and 47% said they would vote for the Republican candidate if the election were held today. 6% were undecided.
- Donald Trump could drag Rob Wittman down in VA-01: Trump is viewed unfavorably by 51% of VA-01 constituents, and in a midterm election that could effectively serve as a referendum on Trump, Shannon Taylor would win with a three point lead if constituents voted based on their feelings about Trump.
UPDATED 8:31 am: Here’s the Taylor campaign’s press release.
Prosecutor Shannon Taylor Launches Campaign for Congress to Protect Virginians and Unseat Career Politician Rob Wittman
Henrico County’s Top Prosecutor launches campaign in battleground district VA-01 against vulnerable Rob Wittman after nearly 20 years in office
Taylor enters the race with the endorsement of US Senator Tim Kaine, federal and local leaders
WATCH SHANNON’S LAUNCH VIDEO: HERE
HENRICO, VA – Today, Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor announced her campaign for Congress in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, pledging to defend hardworking Virginia families and prosecute the case against vulnerable Congressman Rob Wittman.
Shannon has dedicated her life to keeping communities safe from crime, taking on fraudsters and scammers to protect Virginians’ pocketbooks, and standing up to anyone in order to defend our communities. With a nearly 90% conviction rate in homicide cases, she has a proven record of delivering justice and holding criminals accountable. Meanwhile, Wittman – who was first elected in 2007 – has spent his nearly 20 years in Congress enriching himself, boosting his net worth by millions while voting to sell out Virginia’s working families as they struggle to keep up with rising costs.
“As Henrico’s top prosecutor, I’ve made it my mission to protect and defend Virginia families by locking up violent criminals, taking on fraudsters and scammers, and getting drugs and guns off our streets to keep our community safe,” said Taylor. “Now I’m taking on a new fight to prosecute the case against Rob Wittman because he has spent nearly 20 years in Washington enriching himself while selling out the very community I’ve fought to protect. Wittman lied to us when he promised to lower costs but instead voted to rip healthcare away from tens of thousands of our neighbors and risk closing rural hospitals like Rappahannock General to fund tax cuts for billionaires. Virginians deserve a representative who will fight for them. That’s what I’ve done in the courtroom, and that’s exactly what I’ll do in Congress.”
Shannon enters the race with broad national and local backing — including endorsements from U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Congressmen Don Beyer, Eugene Vindman and Suhas Subramanyam, members of the Virginia General Assembly, county sheriffs, and multiple Commonwealth’s Attorneys.
“As Henrico’s top prosecutor, Shannon Taylor has dedicated herself to delivering justice without fear or favor. Since 2012, Shannon has worked to keep the residents of Henrico safe by prosecuting murders, drug dealers, and fraudsters, and standing up for victims and their families,” said U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. “Now she is running to stand up for hardworking families in Virginia’s 1st District. As a friend of Shannon’s for more than 15 years, I’m proud to endorse her as she runs to serve as an independent leader in Congress for her community.”
Virginia’s First District is one of the most competitive in the country, rated R+3 by the Cook Political Report. Stretching from the Richmond suburbs toward the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula, VA-01 includes a mix of suburban, rural, and Tidewater communities that have grown more competitive in recent elections. VA-01 was one of just 19 districts in the nation that moved to the left in 2024 at the presidential level.
Now, Wittman is more vulnerable than ever as he faces heavy scrutiny for lying to Virginians and voting for the largest cuts to Medicaid in history. After joining a letter to House leadership claiming he opposed gutting Medicaid, Wittman voted to cut roughly $1 trillion from the program and rip health care away from more than 24,000 people in VA-01. His vote also risks shutting down rural hospitals in the district like Rappahannock General. Recognizing his vulnerability, Wittman is again lying to constituents about the devastating impacts of his vote and facing protests for breaking his promise to Virginia voters.
As Wittman sells out working families in Congress, Virginians are taking notice. Wittman’s favorability has cratered with voters in recent months: public polling released in March shows that just 29 percent of VA-01 voters approve of Wittman, and his net job approval is underwater at -6 overall. More than 60% oppose his votes to cut Medicaid in order to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy.
Shannon is running to prosecute the case against Wittman and deliver a different kind of leadership for Virginia families. In Congress, Shannon will do what she’s always done: work with anyone to keep our communities safe, keep more money in hardworking Virginians’ pocketbooks, and stand up to anyone in order to defend working families.
ABOUT SHANNON:
Shannon Taylor is a battle-tested prosecutor with 25 years of experience taking on the toughest threats to Virginia families and delivering justice. A native of Charlottesville and graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond Law School, she began her career as a prosecutor in Richmond before serving as a Special Assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s office. In 2011, she flipped the Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office from Republican to Democrat, becoming the first woman elected to the role. She has since been re-elected three times, proving she knows how to win tough races.
As Commonwealth’s Attorney, Taylor has pioneered programs to support victims of human trafficking, created a task force to tackle the opioid epidemic, and led prosecutors nationwide in pledging not to criminalize women or doctors for abortion care. She has worked alongside law enforcement to keep families safe, fought fraud that harms working people, and partnered with gun safety advocates to take illegal guns off the streets.
Shannon Taylor has built her career on protecting Virginians and delivering justice for families regardless of their politics.
For more on Shannon Taylor’s campaign, visit ShannonTaylorVAcom.
