Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va, 1 Prince William, Stafford,) faced off against Democrat challenger Qasim Rashid in their first debate Thursday night in Fredericksburg.
The two met after months of both campaigns wrangling on a date to hold the event.
They fielded questions about criminal justice reform — a hot-button issue in this fall’s congressional and presidential elections.
Rashid argued for a national standard of conduct for police, making the case that no other profession excuses gross misconduct, specifically his as a lawyer.
Wittman said the matter is best left to voters to tell elected officials if such a code should be achieved at the state or federal levels, adding effective police and criminal justice reform is best dealt with at the state and local levels where the people are given more say.
Rashid said Republicans, as well as Democrats, have argued for federal reform in police conduct and how to better interactions with police and citizens.
Wittman also touted his record on getting support for mental health specialists and having them assist law enforcement. Rashid stated that his stances on criminal justice reform come from his work as a human rights lawyer.
Both men thanked the local law enforcement officers that were present for this important debate, which was hosted by the Rappahannock Regional Justice Academy.
“I proposed having meaningful conversations with all community stakeholders and proposing bipartisan legislation that will better our communities, including increasing transparency, accountability, and performance to ensure our nation’s law enforcement officers are better prepared to protect and care for the communities they serve. My opponent relied on legislation crafted to produce far-left talking points, not create true reform…”Wittman started after the debate.
Rasid’s campaign also commented:
“[Rashid] is in line with the interests of the District and this debate showed that. After tonight, it’s clear why Wittman doesn’t want to have five more debates. It’s because he’s out of touch with what VA-1 voters want. Wittman simply can’t defend his own record.”
The discussion on criminal justice reform comes in light of the death of George Floyd, who died at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, sparking the Black Lives Matter protests and riots. National standards of policing and mental health support were among the issues discussed during Thursday’s debate.
Wittman was first elected to Congress in 2007 and serves a district that spans an area from Prince William County southeast toward Williamsburg.
Last year, Rashid made an unsuccessful bid at Virginia’s 28th State Senate District, garnering a 15-point loss to Republican Richard Stuart. The 28th District many of the same counties included in the 1st Congressional District, to include Prince William, Stafford, King George, and Westmoreland.
