In Their Own Words – Bi-Partisan Collaboration

Our final question for the candidates is about reaching across the aisle to deliver legislation that has an impact – we wanted to learn which local issues they felt would most benefit from collaboration with the Republican members of Congress.

What are some important CD1 issues that would benefit from a bi-partisan
collaboration in the event of a 2027 Congress that’s evenly split along party lines?

Salaam Bhatti

CD1 Issues that would benefit from bi-partisan collaboration include:

Right to repair so that farmers and small businesses can repair their own machines and devices.

Moratorium on data centers – our land, water, and air is too precious to give away.

Benefit Cliffs – legislation that reduces the public benefit by a dollar for every dollar in net income the recipient gains, allowing the cliff to turn into
a slope instead and truly help thousands of our neighbors get out of poverty.

Tim Cywinski

In my current work, I work with Republicans, independents, and community leaders across the political spectrum to take on issues like data center development and its impact on local communities. What I’ve learned is that when people are facing the same challenges — rising costs, strain on local resources, and decisions being made without their input — party lines start to matter a lot less. These issues affect our families regardless of who we voted for, and that
shared reality creates space for real collaboration.

In Virginia’s First District, that starts with affordability. Lowering costs for families — whether it’s energy, healthcare, or everyday essentials — is an area where there should be urgency and common ground. And this isn’t abstract — across Virginia, roughly 1 in 8 people are facing food insecurity, including families who are working hard and still struggling to put food on the table.
When that’s the reality, affordability isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a responsibility.

There’s also strong bipartisan potential in supporting veterans and military families, which is especially important in a district like ours. While there are VA facilities in the broader region, much of the First District lacks close access to a full-service VA medical center. That creates real challenges for veterans — especially in rural areas — who often have to travel long distances for specialized or inpatient care. That means improving access to care, strengthening the transition to civilian life, and ensuring we are fully meeting our commitments to those who have served.

Finally, supporting small businesses and rural communities is critical. From expanding access to capital and workforce development to making sure rural areas aren’t left behind economically, this is an area where practical collaboration can deliver real results.

I will work with any republican who acts in good-faith, and hope they will afford me the same courtesy.

Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs

All of the issues affecting Virginia’s First District would benefit from bipartisan cooperation. This is a district made up of red voters, blue voters, and everyone in between. A representative’s job is to serve all of them and work to build a better future for everyone in the district.

Infrastructure is one clear area where cooperation is essential. Investing in roads, bridges, ports, and broadband strengthens economic growth across both rural and suburban communities in the First District and helps ensure that businesses and families can thrive no matter where they live.

Veterans’ services are another area where bipartisan work is critical. Ensuring that veterans receive timely healthcare and access to the benefits they earned should never be a partisan issue. Many veterans in CD1 currently have to travel hours to access care, and that is something we must work together to change.

Workforce development and education are also key opportunities for collaboration. Strengthening career and technical education, expanding apprenticeship programs, and increasing access to workforce training helps local businesses grow while allowing young people to build careers without leaving their communities.

Finally, community safety is an issue that transcends politics. The safety of families and neighborhoods is not a red or blue issue. It is something parents, grandparents, and community members think about every day. Ensuring that our communities are safe allows everyone to thrive, regardless of who they voted for.

Jason Knapp

Even in a closely divided Congress, there is real room to work across party lines on the issues that matter most to the families and communities of this district.

Healthcare affordability and access should be at the top of that list. No matter where you live in this district, families are worried about the cost of prescriptions, access to doctors, and whether they can get care without going into debt. There should be bipartisan support for lowering prescription drug prices, expanding access to primary and mental health care, and strengthening care for seniors, veterans, and working families. This is not a partisan issue — it is a kitchen table issue in every zip code in CD1.

Everyday affordability is the same story. People across this district are feeling squeezed by the cost of housing, groceries, gas, and utilities. The pressures may look different from one community to another, but the challenge is the same: too many families are working hard and still falling behind. We should be able to work together on practical steps that lower costs and help people keep more of what they earn.

Broadband is infrastructure — full stop. In the Northern Neck and rural parts of this district, unreliable internet access isn’t a convenience issue, it’s an economic development issue. You cannot attract manufacturing to a community that can’t guarantee consistent connectivity. You cannot deliver telehealth to patients who can’t maintain a stable connection with their doctor. You cannot give rural students the same educational opportunities as their suburban peers when the internet cuts out in the middle of class. Broadband investment has bipartisan support nationwide, and this district needs it done right.

American shipbuilding is a national security issue hiding in plain sight. We were once the dominant shipbuilding nation in the world. Today the majority of global shipbuilding happens in Asia — South Korea and China — and we have hollowed out not just our military shipbuilding capacity but our cargo and transport shipbuilding as well. That is an economic failure and a strategic vulnerability at the same time. Newport News and the broader shipbuilding workforce in this district and this state are central to reversing that decline — and rebuilding American shipbuilding capacity should be something both parties can agree on, because the alternative is ceding that industry, those jobs, and that strategic edge permanently.

Infrastructure and resilience tie all of this together. In the city centers, that means traffic, transit, and stormwater. In the Northern Neck, it means flooding, erosion, and protecting the waterways that communities depend on. Different challenges, same responsibility: building communities that are safer, stronger, and better prepared for what’s coming.

I’m a Democrat and I’m not interested in compromising on core values. But the families in this district can’t afford to wait for Washington to get its act together. If someone across the aisle is serious about delivering results on any of this, I’ll work with them.

Ericka Kopp

An important CD1 issue that would benefit from bipartisan collaboration in the event of an evenly split Congress in 2027 is reliable internet access. There are still areas in this district without internet access. This becomes an issue not just in a digital world, but also in healthcare. For example, in Lancaster County, Rappahannock General Hospital relies in part on telehealth. But many people in and around that county are without reliable internet access. Telehealth should be the second-closest option for seeing a medical professional where access to healthcare has been limited by legislation like the Big Ugly Bill. In order to have telehealth, people need the “tele” to access health.

Another significant issue is infrastructure. For example, the Robert O. Norris bridge is severely overdue for replacement. After last January’s water crisis, central Virginia has become acutely aware of the importance of water infrastructure. Clean running water must be available to everyone, including in the most remote parts of the district.

Shannon Taylor

Shannon Taylor’s campaign has declined to participate in questionnaires.

You can learn more about Shannon on her campaign website.

Mel Tull

There are several areas where I think practical, bipartisan solutions are both necessary and achievable in this district.

Managing growth of technology and data centers. We need balanced policies that support job growth while protecting energy reliability, infrastructure, and local communities.

Enacting workforce and immigration policy. We need a more functional system that secures our borders, while also ensuring that key industries, like agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing, have access to a stable and legal workforce.

Improve infrastructure and energy reliability. Investments in transportation, ports, rural high-speed internet, and the electric grid are essential to economic growth in this region and are areas where bipartisan cooperation is both possible and necessary.

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