1st Congressional District
One’s a conservative Republican elected from one of Virginia’s redder congressional districts, the other a lawyer whose passion for protecting religious minorities and criminal justice reform led him to run for office.
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, and Qasim Rashid, the Democratic candidate for the 1st Congressional district, are offering voters of the sprawling district on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay sharply different visions of where the nation needs to go.
Rashid, author of “An Untold Story of Persecution & Perseverance”, a memoir of Muslimon-Muslim discrimination and oppression, is an attorney focused on preventing violence against women and children and an outspoken opponent of violence against Christians, Hindus and nonbelievers in Muslim nations.
Wittman has served in Congress since 2007, playing a critical role on the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, where he is the ranking member on the House of Representatives’ prime shipbuilding and naval affairs panel, and is co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay caucus.
“I’m running for Congress because I benefited from the American dream. I’m running for Congress to protect the American dream, to pass the dream on to our children, and to open the dream up to those from whom it has been withheld,” Rashid said.
“Before serving in Congress, I earned a master’s degree in public health and spent more than 26 years working for the Virginia Department of Health, so I am committed to protecting Virginians and raising awareness about how public health issues impact lives and communities,” Wittman said.
The district stretches north from Jamestown to the Middle Peninsula, Northern Neck and on to parts of Prince William County in the Northern Virginia suburbs.
The district is strongly Republican, giving 55% of its votes to Donald Trump in 2016. Wittman won 55% of votes cast in the 2018 election. The district hasn’t elected a Democrat since 1976.
Rashid’s first venture into running for office came last year, when he lost a challenge to state Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, by 42% to 57% in a por
Qasim Rashid
Age: Occupation: Human rights attorney Previous public none
Bachelor’s of Science in business marketing, University of Illinois, Chicago; J.D. University of Richmond School of Law
tion of the congressional district that included outlying Northern Virginia suburbs and the rural Northern Neck. The state Senate district does not include the congressional district’s heavily Republican Middle Peninsula, York and James City County voters.
Health care
“I believe health care is a human right,” Rashid said. “I take this very seriously. I believe in working toward a single-payer health care system. Under the system I support, preexisting conditions would be covered.”
Specifically, Rashid said he supports the Medicare for All bill introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) that would establish a national health insurance program run by the Department of Health and Human Services that would cover all U.S. residents.
This approach would cover hospital services, prescription drugs, mental health and substance abuse treatment, dental and vision services, and long-term care and ban deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments and other charges for covered services.
Wittman said said he supported the Republican alternative to the Affordable Care Act, which would have repealed Obamacare’s mandates that individuals and larger employers buy private health insurance and would have limited Medicaid spending and eligibility.
Wittman said the bill would have ensured coverage of preexisitng conditions, by barring insurers from denying coverage. Unlike Obamacare, the bill set a one-year 30% surcharge on premiums for people buying insurance if they had gone more than 63 days without coverage.
“Any health care reform must include plans for lowering drug prices and increasing access to effective medical treatments.” Wittman said, adding that focus
ing on U.S. manufacture of pharmaceuticals is key. He said he helped Phlow Corp and Virginia Commonwealth University win a $354 million federal contract to produce medication ingredients and generic medicines. Wittman said expanding telemedicine and Health Savings Accounts would also bring down health care costs.
The Chesapeake Bay
“I’m not satisfied with current federal support. I would urge the implementation of the Green
New Deal and the Climate Mobilization Victory Plan,” Rashid said.
These would end new fossil fuel development, cut pollution and end destruction of indigenous lands, he said. This approach would protect energy sector employees by training fossil-fuel workers in renewable energy jobs, while ensuring payment of prevailing wages for clean energy jobs and providing incentives for farmers to cut pollution.
“Cap and trade is not the solution, it simply allows a pay-topollute system,” he said. “The U.S. needs to institute a fair energy rationing system similar to rationing systems used during World War II.”
Wittman, whose son makes a living on the bay, said it is not just another policy topic for him.
“Like so many of you, I view the bay as the lifeblood of our region’s economy, the home to countless species of fish and other wildlife, and a true natural treasure that needs to be maintained and protected,” he said. “Simply put: the Chesapeake Bay is a way of life for us.”
As co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Caucus, Wittman said he wrote The Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act that he and Sen. Mark Warner sponsored in 2014. He said he worked get Congress to pass the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act this year, which included measures to reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Program, the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Reauthorization Act; and the Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (Chesapeake Bay Wild) Act.
Infrastructure
“Internet connectivity matters to your daily life as much as electricity and water. Reliable internet is essential, especially during this pandemic,” Rashid said.
“The current system hurts our local economy. Folks in rural areas can’t earn a paycheck because their small businesses are struggling. Our local farmers aren’t able to get the data they need to run their farms successfully.”
He said his Last Mile Broadband Plan would treat broadband as a public utility, like a regulated electric monopoly. He also proposes a Rural Broadband Expansion Authority to manage all the federal grant or subsidy programs now run by 14 separate agencies.
“The 1st District of Virginia is home to some of the most unique transportation challenges in the country; we face congestion on I-95, strained commuter rail and crumbling roads and bridges,” Wittman said.
He said expanding commuter rail service between the district and Washington prompted him to introduce a bill to build a new rail bridge, while he’s tried to secure federal funding to ease the burden of operating the Coleman Bridge.
“A top priority of mine in Congress is working to provide broadband access to the 1st District,” he said. Wittman has introduced legislation to improve mapping, boost funds and hold Internet Service Providers accountable to ensure accurate coverage. His Serving Rural America Act would create a $500 million, five-year pilot grant program to expand expand broadband service to unserved areas of the country.