HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Ahead of Election Day, Henrico County’s top prosecutor and Democratic congressional candidate Shannon Taylor addressed rising gas and diesel prices. At a local gas station, Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, who’s seeking a U.S. House seat in Virgin ia’s 1st Congressional District, spoke about how Virginia families are facing higher gas prices because of the war in Iran. A war, she said her opponent, incumbent Republican Congressman Rob Wittman, has continued to vote for. “Virginians are paying the price for this war that Rob Wittman continues to vote for because he is too afraid to speak up for the truth,” Taylor said. Taylor highlighted gas prices that have climbed to more than $4 per gallon and record highs for diesel in Virginia. She said Wittman has voted to support the Iran war six times and even made headlines by refusing to say the U.S. is in a war with Iran. “When asked by a reporter, [Wittman] said, ‘There is no war as we speak.’ He even went so far to say, 'We're not in a direct conflict with Iran,'" Taylor said. “What does he say to the families of the 21 service members who lost their lives, or to the Virginians who have families with their loved ones deployed to the Middle East right now?” Wittman sent 8News the following statement in response to Taylor’s claims: “Shannon Taylor's latest criticism of my record does nothing to answer the serious questions about her own tenure as Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney, including her office's handling of the NICU abuse investigation. My position on Iran has been clear: I support preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, protecting American servicemembers, and bringing this conflict to an end as quickly as possible. I agree that the prices of food and fuel are too high, but they've been that way for years thanks to the Democrat policies my opponent supports. Their anti-American energy policies drove up prices, increased our dependence on foreign energy, and smothered our domestic energy producers. We must increase American energy production, expand domestic oil refining capacity, streamline permitting for critical energy projects, and invest in the pipelines and infrastructure needed to deliver affordable, reliable energy. We must also address diesel supply shortages that drive up transportation costs and ultimately make groceries and everyday necessities more expensive. By strengthening our domestic energy infrastructure and reducing our vulnerability to global supply disruptions, we can work to lower costs for Virginia families, farmers, and small businesses. My responsibility is to the people of Virginia's First District. Every day, I work to address the challenges facing the families, farmers, veterans, and small businesses I represent. Shannon Taylor is seeking a promotion to Congress while questions remain about her record as Commonwealth's Attorney. She owes Virginians answers about that record and how she has carried out the responsibilities of her current office. Public service should be about fulfilling the responsibilities of the office you hold, not simply pursuing the next one.” Taylor said congressional acts like rolling back tariffs are where she’ll look to decrease costs at gas stations. “Those immediate tariffs automatically made the price of everything higher, including gas, automatically started hurting the farmers here in the first Congressional District,” Taylor said. ...read more read less