1st District candidates Wittman, Rowe, Parker differ on healthcare, free college

FREDERICKSBURG. Va. — The two major-party candidates in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District wasted no time Monday night highlighting how they differ on the issues.

Robert J. Wittman, the incumbent Republican representing residents from Prince William County, Fredericksburg, to Williamsburg slammed the federal healthcare mandate calling for its repeal and replacement with a new program.

“I think the problems with Obamacare speak for themselves,” said the Republican, just hours after double-digit increases were reported in insurance premiums for the coming year.

Increasing costs, increasing financial burdens on small businesses and the structure of the federal health care plan were all reasons Wittman said the measure must be repealed.

“Any time you have a [healthcare company] in charge you are not going to find a system that works in the best interest of the patient,” he added.

Rowe was quick to fire back saying Republicans have taken ineffective, “symbolic” votes to repeal the federal healthcare mandate, but offered no acceptable replacement plan.

“Republicans say they are going to repeal and replace Obamacare. They’ve got the repeal side down pretty good,” said Rowe “Symbolic votes to repeal healthcare won’t get anything done.”

Green Party Candidate Gail Parker was also on stage for the debate at The University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg and said she would like to see a healthcare system that focused more on preventative and alternative measures so that fewer residents would rely on federal healthcare.

The audience inside Dodd Auditorium was partisan, with Democrats on one side and Republicans on the other. Each faction cheered when their candidate catered to their base. Rowe garnered applause when he called for a debt-free college education.

“I’m 35 years old and still paying student loans, on top of payments that we’re making while we have three kids and paying a mortgage,” said Rowe.

He also called for lowering the overall cost of tuition, and for schools to help students identify their options early on for entrances to a four-year college, a vocational school, or access to military service.

Wittman called for creating more courses aligned with the needs of businesses, and more online courses to reduce college costs.

“It can’t be all bricks and mortar. That’s the expensive part of it,” he said.

Parker noted Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein has advocated for giving students struggling to pay back college loan debt a bailout.

“Instead of a bailout for Wall Street, it’s a bailout for students,” she said. 

Parker also aligned herself with Donald Trump, who has called the federal election process “rigged” for Democrat Hillary Clinton.

“When you have four political parties, and only two are allowed in the debates, I have to agree with Mr. Trump,” she said.

Wittman called for more oversight of voter fraud in the state, but “overall, is the system rigged? I don’t think it is at that level.” said Wittman.

Rowe quickly dismissed his voter fraud claims as GOP scare tactics. He also took Wittman — who said he doesn’t agree with all of Donald Trump’s statements — to task over his support of Donald Trump as the party’s Presidential nominee, citing recent claims by multiple women of sexual abuse by the millionaire.

“I’d like to hear you talk more about what you don’t agree with Trump about,” Rowe told Wittman.

The Republican never directly engaged his opponents on stage and replied Trump is the nominee of his party and that he was chosen by a primary process.

“I have not asked my opponents to disagree with their nominee…Mr. Trump was chosen by the voters, and I think this election is about what the voters in the 1st District want,” said Wittman.

Wittman seeks his fifth term in office. Elected in 2007, he’s served as Mayor of Montross, and was elected to the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors before serving in Congress. He will make a bid for Virginia Governor in 2017.

Rowe has served on the Bowling Green Town Council since 2015. He works as a mapmaker for the Stafford County Government.

Gail Parker spent 34 years as a federal employee, and 22 years as an Air Force Reservist. She’s sought election to the 1st District seat multiple times, each time running on a platform of railroad expansion to spur economic development.