Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st today called on state legislators to resolve their impasse over how to draw new congressional districts.
"I just hope they get it done. I told folks, 'Give me a district I'm going to run in'," in 2012, Wittman said in an interview with reporters and editors at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
"I think the longer it goes, the more difficult it is for us to introduce ourselves to who are going to be a new block of voters. I want to be doing that as soon as possible."
All 11 of Virginia's U.S. House seats will be on the ballot next year, as well as a U.S. Senate race and the presidential contest.
The contests will occur in new districts. Leaders of the state Senate and House of Delegates have been at loggerheads for months over revisions to congressional districts prompted by population shifts reflected in the 2010 census.
Republicans who lead the House of Delegates support a plan that would effectively preserve the party's 8-3 majority in Virginia's U.S. House delegation. Democrats propose realignment that would make it easier for a second African-American candidate to win a seat.
Under the Senate Democrats' plan, the 4th District, represented by Republican J. Randy Forbes, would become a majority-minority district. The 3rd District, represented by Democrat Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, would become a district with a strong minority influence.
State Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico, has said "the courts will probably decide," between the House and Senate plans.
Wittman's district currently is a sprawling stripe across the state's eastern corridor. It extends from Fauquier and Prince William counties through the Northern Neck and south to Hampton.
Wittman said he does not have a preference between the two proposed configurations.
In the House plan, the 1st District would move north, reflecting population growth in Northern Virginia. The district would lose some of Newport News and Hampton.
In the state Senate's plan, Wittman's district would pick up more of the Northern Virginia exburbs, including more of Fauquier County and part of Culpeper County.
"I think the General Assembly needs to get it done," he said. "The leadership there on both sides needs to come in say 'Let's have this agreement.'
"I don't think it's right to have the courts make the decision. It's a legislative duty. I think the legislature needs to make the decision."
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