Shannon
L. Taylor
Shannon L. Taylor, Henrico County's top prosecutor, is the 2026 Democratic nominee challenging Rep. Rob Wittman in Virginia's 1st Congressional District.
- sources
- 20
- positions
- 10
- endorsements
- 37
Background
Shannon L. Taylor is the Democratic nominee for Virginia's 1st Congressional District in the November 3, 2026 election, challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman. 9 A native of Charlottesville, she has lived in Henrico County for approximately 30 years. 1 She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and her law degree from the University of Richmond. 17
Taylor has served as Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney — the county's top prosecutor — since her election to the post in 2011, and has been reelected three times since. 6 Prior to holding that office, she began her legal career as a prosecutor in Richmond and served as a Special Assistant in the U.S. Attorney's office; her campaign describes her as having 25 years of prosecutorial experience overall. 17
Taylor won the Democratic primary in Virginia's 1st District on August 4, 2026. 9 Her campaign has centered on her prosecutorial record, anti-corruption themes, and contrasts with Rep. Wittman. 11 She has been endorsed by the New Democrat Coalition, among others. 18
At a glance
- Party
- Democratic
- Running for
- U.S. House · District 1, Virginia
- Election
- Nov 3, 2026
- Current office
- Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney
- Website
- shannontaylorva.com(opens in a new tab)
Where they stand
Each position links to the page it was drawn from. Quotes are verbatim.
Timeline
- Oct 9newsVPM News interviews Taylor; Cook Political Report still rates VA-01 'Lean Republican'
VPM News conducted a video interview with Taylor. VPM noted that while Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the race a toss-up, Cook Political Report still rated VA-01 'Lean Republican' as of this date.
VPM News interviews Virginia 1st District's Shannon Taylor · Oct 9, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Oct 9newsSalon profiles Taylor as a prosecutor-turned-congressional candidate focused on justice system failures
Salon featured Taylor in a story about prosecutors who witnessed justice system failures against women and are now running for Congress.
These prosecutors saw how the justice system failed women. Now they’re running for Congress · Oct 9, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Oct 1debateRoll Call reports Taylor declined League of Women Voters debate invitation
Roll Call reported that both candidates rebuffed League of Women Voters forum requests, with no joint debate having taken place in the VA-01 race.
At the Races: Debate demands and dodges · Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Oct 1newsTaylor announces Q3 fundraising of over $2 million, bringing campaign total above $4 million
Taylor's campaign announced raising more than $2 million in the third quarter, bringing her total campaign fundraising to more than $4 million, according to Virginia Scope.
Shannon Taylor is surging in the polls and in fundraising · Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Oct 1pollWashington Post–Schar School poll shows Taylor at 50%, Wittman at 46% among likely voters
A Washington Post–Schar School poll of likely voters reported Taylor leading Wittman 50% to 46%. The margin of error was 4.5 percentage points, making the race within the margin of error. Taylor's campaign publicized the result.
BREAKING: New Poll from Washington Post Shows ... · Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 30newsSabato's Crystal Ball moves VA-01 from 'Leans Republican' to 'Toss-up'
Taylor's campaign announced that Sabato's Crystal Ball changed its rating of Virginia's 1st District from 'Leans Republican' to 'Toss-up,' though Cook Political Report still rated it 'Lean Republican' as of October 9.
VPM News interviews Virginia 1st District's Shannon Taylor · Oct 9, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 28debateCommentary: Taylor's campaign declined League of Women Voters forum invitation; no joint debate held
The Williamsburg-area League of Women Voters invited both candidates to a joint appearance after the August 4 primary. Taylor's campaign declined; Wittman's campaign did not provide an answer. No joint debate or forum took place.
When Virginia's congressional candidates don't debate, voters get ... · Sep 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 23newsVPM publishes candidate Q&A for Virginia's 1st District race
VPM published a candidate survey covering Taylor and Wittman's positions on key issues ahead of the November 3 general election.
1st District Q&A: Shannon Taylor, Rob Wittman - VPM · Sep 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 23endorsementTaylor reported to have endorsements from 13 Virginia sheriffs
Taylor's campaign said she had the endorsement of 13 Virginia sheriffs, which she later featured in a campaign advertisement highlighting her law-enforcement support.
Shannon Taylor's Positions on Public Safety and Immigration ... · Sep 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 21pollDCCC-commissioned internal poll shows Taylor and Wittman essentially tied
Taylor's campaign reported that a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee poll found the two candidates essentially tied. This was a Democratic internal poll, not an independent survey.
Democratic internal poll shows tight race between Wittman and Taylor · Sep 21, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 18newsVirginia in-person early voting begins; general election set for November 3
Virginia's in-person early-voting period opened on September 18 and runs through October 31. Taylor and Wittman are listed as the two candidates for VA-01 on November 3.
Virginia voter guide: What to know ahead of 2026 midterm elections · Sep 18, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 14newsTaylor holds health care roundtable in Henrico, calls for restoring Medicaid and ACA subsidies
At an event in Henrico, Taylor said she wanted to restore health-care funding cut by Congress, including Medicaid funding and ACA subsidies. She also said she would explore tighter regulation of private equity in health care.
Taylor pushes to restore Medicaid funding and ACA subsidies | Williamsburg Yorktown Daily · Sep 15, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Aug 4newsShannon Taylor wins Democratic primary for Virginia's 1st Congressional District
Taylor won the Democratic nomination in a seven-person primary, securing her place as the Democratic challenger to Republican incumbent Rob Wittman.
Election - Daily Press · Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Endorsements
- Former Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring officialListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- Teamsters Local Union No. 639 unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- American Federation of Government Employees unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- Defeat Extremists organizationListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- U.S. Senator Mark Warner officialListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- EMILY's List organizationListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- AFSCME unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- SEIU Virginia State Council unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- League of Conservation Voters organizationListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- U.S. Representative Jennifer McClellan officialCampaign published a release titled 'Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan Endorses…'; publication date not available in source. shannontaylorva.com
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund organizationListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- SMART (International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers) unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- Association of Flight Attendants–CWA unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- BradyPAC organizationListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- IBEW Local 666 unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- Iron Workers Mid Atlantic unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- National Security Leaders for America organizationListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- Amalgamated Transit Union unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- New Democrat Coalition organizationCampaign announced endorsement in a release titled 'New Dems Endorse Prosecutor Shannon Taylor'; no publication date available in source. shannontaylorva.com
- Defend The Vote organizationListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters unionListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- Virginia state legislators and local officials (various) officialListed on campaign endorsements page; no individual names or dates provided in sources. shannontaylorva.com
- U.S. Representative Bobby Scott officialListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- Elect Democratic Women organizationListed on campaign endorsements page; no date provided. shannontaylorva.com
- Virginia AFL-CIO unionEndorsed at the political convention held August 13–15, 2026, by COPE Committee and convention delegates. va-aflcio.org · Aug 13, 2026
- End Citizens United organizationAnnounced endorsement June 25, 2026. Taylor joined ECU's Unrig Washington program; rejects corporate PAC money, supports congressional stock-trading ban and ending dark money. endcitizensunited.org · Jun 25, 2026
- GIFFORDS organizationGIFFORDS candidate page identifies Taylor as endorsed; page dated May 22, 2026. giffords.org · May 22, 2026
- U.S. Representative Don Beyer officialListed as endorser in campaign's January 8, 2026 release. shannontaylorva.com · Jan 8, 2026
- U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam officialListed as endorser in campaign's January 8, 2026 release. shannontaylorva.com · Jan 8, 2026
- Abigail Spanberger, Governor of Virginia officialDescribed as governor-elect at time of initial report; endorsement reiterated on Feb. 6, 2026. shannontaylorva.com · Jan 8, 2026
- U.S. Representative James Walkinshaw officialListed as endorser in campaign's January 8, 2026 release. shannontaylorva.com · Jan 8, 2026
- U.S. Representative Eugene Vindman officialListed as endorser in campaign's January 8, 2026 release. shannontaylorva.com · Jan 8, 2026
- Former Governor Terry McAuliffe officialListed as endorser in campaign's January 8, 2026 release. shannontaylorva.com · Jan 8, 2026
- Former Governor Ralph Northam officialListed as endorser in campaign's January 8, 2026 release. shannontaylorva.com · Jan 8, 2026
- U.S. Senator Tim Kaine officialListed as endorser in campaign's January 8, 2026 release. shannontaylorva.com · Jan 8, 2026
Campaign finance
Totals filed with the Federal Election Commission for the 2026 election cycle.
- Raised
- $2.14M
- Spent
- $1.14M
- Cash on hand
- $1.00M
As of Jul 15, 2026. Filings are periodic, so recent money may not be included yet. ↳ FEC record H6VA01299(opens in a new tab)
Sources 20
- [1] These prosecutors saw how the justice system failed women. Now they’re running for Congress(opens in a new tab) Oct 9, 2026
- [2] VPM News interviews Virginia 1st District's Shannon Taylor(opens in a new tab) Oct 9, 2026
- [3] 2026 Endorsed Candidates(opens in a new tab) Oct 6, 2026
- [4] At the Races: Debate demands and dodges(opens in a new tab) Oct 1, 2026
- [5] BREAKING: New Poll from Washington Post Shows ...(opens in a new tab) Oct 1, 2026
- [6] Election - Daily Press(opens in a new tab) Oct 1, 2026
- [7] Shannon Taylor is surging in the polls and in fundraising(opens in a new tab) Oct 1, 2026
- [8] Priorities - Shannon Taylor for Virginia(opens in a new tab) Sep 30, 2026
- [9] When Virginia's congressional candidates don't debate, voters get ...(opens in a new tab) Sep 28, 2026
- [10] 1st District Q&A: Shannon Taylor, Rob Wittman - VPM(opens in a new tab) Sep 23, 2026
- [11] Shannon Taylor's Positions on Public Safety and Immigration ...(opens in a new tab) Sep 23, 2026
- [12] Democratic internal poll shows tight race between Wittman and Taylor(opens in a new tab) Sep 21, 2026
- [13] Virginia voter guide: What to know ahead of 2026 midterm elections(opens in a new tab) Sep 18, 2026
- [14] Taylor pushes to restore Medicaid funding and ACA subsidies | Williamsburg Yorktown Daily(opens in a new tab) Sep 15, 2026
- [15] Press Release - Shannon Taylor for Virginia(opens in a new tab) Aug 8, 2026
- [16] End Citizens United Endorses Shannon Taylor in VA-01(opens in a new tab) Jun 25, 2026
- [17] Prosecutor Shannon Taylor Issues Statement on Fourth Anniversary of Dobbs Decision; Vows to Fight for Abortion Rights in Congress - Shannon Taylor for Virginia(opens in a new tab) Jun 24, 2026
- [18] Shannon Taylor(opens in a new tab) May 22, 2026
- [19] Prosecutor Shannon Taylor Raises Nearly $400000 in Q4 as ...(opens in a new tab) Jan 8, 2026
- [20] Endorsements - Shannon Taylor for Virginia(opens in a new tab) May 17, 2025