Wittman: There's still work to be done in the 1st District

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Robert J. Wittman ordered swordfish for lunch, but the conversation had more to do with crabs and other aquatic life in Virginia as the lawmaker talked about why he wants to run for a second full term.

Simply put, he feels like there's still work to be done in the Old Dominion's 1st congressional district, which stretches from Hampton Roads to southern Prince William County.

To continue working, though, he'll first have to get past a Republican primary challenge from Catherine Crabill, who ran unsuccessfully last year for a seat in the Virginia General Assembly representing the Northern Neck. The primary election is June 8.

Among Wittman's priorities are the economy, transportation and natural resources.

In terms of the economy, the first tasks are to grow jobs and help small businesses to prosper, said Wittman, who was elected in December 2007 to fill the unexpired term of the late Rep. Jo Ann Davis and re-elected in 2008.

In the sprawling 1st District, job growth could mean agricultural work in the Northern Neck and in the Middle Peninsula, the congressman said. On the other hand, in Hampton Roads and Prince William, it could mean focusing on the military and government contractors.

Regardless of the location, the goal is to help constituents flourish financially, Wittman said, which brings the diverse parts of the district together.

"It's amazing to me how many things they have in common," the congressman said Wednesday at the Capitol Hill Club, the GOP's national social club.

Employers, meanwhile, particularly small businesses, are worried about access to capital, Wittman said. And then there are still unanswered questions about how the recent health care reform legislation could affect their operations.

"So all of that uncertainty really created a concern for them," said the congressman, who supports state Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II's legal challenge of health care reform.

Wittman also believes in moving the federal government toward a balanced budget, which will mean tough decisions on costly items such as defense and entitlements.

Transportation fixes are high on his agenda, as well, especially because he represents Virginia's two most gridlocked areas: Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

Wittman said he wants to ensure the Old Dominion gets its fair share of federal road money, and that teleworking continues to grow in high-traffic areas.

And in preserving natural resources, he wants both to protect the fragile Chesapeake Bay and to encourage the redevelopment of Virginia as a major seafood state.

The latter could result in thousands of jobs, he said, including those for the watermen who catch fish to those for workers who process seafood or transport it.

Staff writer Jonathan Hunley can be reached at 703-369-5738.