EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) faces a competitive reelection campaign against Henrico County’s top prosecutor, but he’s betting that her biggest asset — a background in law and order — might instead be a liability on the campaign trail.
Shannon Taylor, considered a top recruit for Democrats, has leaned into her background on the campaign trail. She’s the four-time elected prosecutor in one of the district’s biggest counties and ran for Virginia attorney general in 2025. Her campaign website boasts that “she’s locked up violent criminals, taken on fraudsters and scammers, made Henrico a statewide leader in prosecuting sex traffickers, and delivered justice.”
In a Republican-leaning district, Taylor’s prosecutorial background could help her dispel the notion that Democrats aren’t strong on crime, an issue in which Republicans historically hold an advantage.
But Wittman, a longtime congressman with a background in public health, is casting his opponent as soft on crime in an effort to diffuse Taylor’s potential built-in advantage.
On Friday, Wittman announced the support of 14 sheriffs across the district, shared first with the Washington Examiner. The endorsements underline his contrast on crime with Taylor and suggest he’ll continue to ding his opponent on issues relating to her resume.
Earlier this week, he also released an ad touting the support he has received from law enforcement while attacking Taylor for her record on crime.
“Some politicians brag about celebrity endorsements, but in my campaign, the celebrities backing me are these folks: law enforcement, everyday heroes, police, and sheriffs stand with me because they know me and they know my opponent. Shannon Taylor is one of Virginia’s softest prosecutors,” Wittman said in the ad while surrounded by law enforcement officials.
“She lets the worst criminals out of jail early,” the congressman adds.
When Taylor was a a defense attorney for the law firm Boone Beale, she defended her client Don Farmer, who was convicted on charges of murder, rape, burglary, and robbery. Taylor gave a plea deal to someone convicted of harming newborn babies to the point of breaking limbs.
She also has given more lenient sentences for drug-related crimes if the offender seeks treatment, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Meanwhile, Taylor dropped an ad Thursday also touting the support of 13 sheriffs as both candidates compete for law enforcement support.
Just one of the 13 sheriffs, however, has jurisdiction within the congressional district.
The Taylor campaign said “her record speaks for itself” and attacked Wittman for his long tenure on Capitol Hill.
“Shannon Taylor is proud to have the support of 13 sheriffs and law enforcement leaders across the Commonwealth because they know her record speaks for itself: a 90% homicide conviction rate, a historic 86% drop in murders under her leadership in Henrico, and a reputation as one of the toughest, most effective prosecutors in Virginia,” Taylor campaign manager Sam Knapp told the Washington Examiner. “While Rob Wittman made himself richer over the course of his nearly 20 years in Washington DC, Shannon made Henrico safer and took on anyone — regardless of party — to do what’s right for Virginia.”
President Donald Trump won this district — located outside of Richmond — by just under 5 points in 2024. Wittman won by 13 against an underfunded opponent.