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More candidates announce for 1st District Date published: 10/23/2007
BY CHELYEN DAVIS
Del. Rob Wittman of Westmoreland County announced yesterday that he will run for the 1st congressional seat. Wittman, a Republican who has served one term in the House of Delegates as the 99th District representative, is also running for re-election in that seat. He is unopposed in the election Nov. 6, which is before Republicans plan to nominate a candidate for the 1st District. Wittman said he would step down from his House seat and help find a Republican candidate to fill it, if he wins the congressional seat. He is already taking leave from his job with the Department of Health, with plans to retire soon. Wittman said he has been encouraged to run for the 1st District seat, which was left vacant when Rep. Jo Ann Davis died of breast cancer a few weeks ago. "I believe that my dedication to my district, my service in both local and state elected office, and my reputation as a fair and thoughtful legislator will persuade the voters of this congressional district to send me to Washington," Wittman wrote in a news release. "If they do, I pledge to serve them faithfully." He added, in a telephone interview, that he thinks his experience as an elected official is unique among the numerous candidates vying for the seat. Wittman is far from the only Republican interested in the seat. Yesterday Gloucester resident Catesby Jones, who founded the Peace Frogs sportswear stores in Charlottesville, said he will run. Jones' press release said he's active in community as a trustee for the Ware Episcopal Church, a member of the Gloucester Community Foundation, and is involved with the Virginia Historical Society and Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Spotsylvania resident Dave Caprara has already said he's running, and he made a formal announcement yesterday. Caprara said his own experience makes him a unique candidate. He was executive director of the Governor's Commission on Citizen Empowerment under former Gov. George Allen. He has been active in faith-based and housing issues, serving with both Presidents Bush in various capacities and volunteering at Fredericksburg's Bragg Hill, a low-income community, as well as being involved with a variety of faith- and housing-oriented groups in the area.
Too bad that this district has been gerrymandered to support only Republican candidates. It is especially unfortunate at this time in our Nation's history when we have a GOP president pursuing misguided foreign and domestic poliices, and the last thing we need is another GOP lapdog to blindly follow Bush. We need a good Dem to enter this race.
The key issue for me is health insurance. Insurance companies need to be kept in check, and under the current system they are not. Their premium fees have absolutely run amock. I don't have health insurance, because I didn't buy that a $5500 yearly premium and a $1500 deductable is a good price. I'd have to pay $7000 for medical before insurance put in a dime. Since I don't have insurance, I can't have a medical savings fund. Still I'm putting that $5500 in the bank and not in their pockets.
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