Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Montross), who serves Gloucester and Mathews counties and the rest of Virginia’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced earlier this month that he will not be seeking the Republican nomination for governor.

Wittman had previously announced his intention to seek the nomination about a year ago and, if nominated, would have likely faced off with the state’s current lieutenant governor, Ralph Northam of Norfolk, in 2017.

Since making that announcement, Wittman won re-election to his 1st Congressional District seat by 60 percent of the vote. In a recent e-mail to supporters, he said, “My intentions haven’t changed, but the circumstances around me have.”

In that e-mail, Wittman expressed gratitude to those who have been a part of his journey so far, and said he is excited to continue working with those in the 1st District to grow its economy, strengthen its national security and “make sure that Virginia is alwa...