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Meet Scott Rigell (R CAND, VA-02).

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  April 14th, 2010 at 04:30 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

This would be freshman (and steadily-more-worried) Democrat Glenn Nye’s district; Scott’s been running in this race since last year, but things are heating up enough that I thought that an interview was warranted.

Scott’s website is here: you can also see him on Facebook here.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

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COMMENTS

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  • penguin2

    contender here in VA -02. It is a crowded field and many qualified candidates. He definitely has some strengths and it will take that to get this seat back. Apparently VA-02 had been Democrat before 2006, and Nye taking it in a perfect political climate in 2008 was not necessarily a surprise. I am glad to see it moved to toss-up.

    It was fun to open RedState and see your FP post and this interview. I said, “hey that’s us!” :-)

  • wmtribe03

    Having lived most of my life in VA-2 and now reside in Arlington, I can definately say that Rigell is the only candidate who can beat Nye.

    Yes, before Reps. Schrock and Drake, VA-2 has held by Rep. Pickett from ’87′-’01. It was a surprise that Drake lost last cycle, but Nye was able to ride the wave of “Hope and Change.”

    Nevertheless, Rigell is exactly the type of candidate needed for this district. He’s a longtime, successfull businessman (created hundreds of jobs in the district), has a military background and is engaged in the community. Just look at his endorsements.

    Yes, the other candidates in the primary are good people, but all pale in comparison to the type of candidate Scott Rigell is.

    If you have the chance, ask Rigell about his leadership philosphy. It’s highly encouraging to hear what he has to say and exactly what we need in the House.

    While the primary race has been a “Comedy of Errors” from the get-go, if the GOP wants any chance in taking Nye out, it starts with Scott Rigell. It’s time to rally around his candidacy and getting him the resources he needs to take Nye down. Unfortunately, he needs to win the primary first, but all the while Nye can raise his money without worry, plus he’ll be backed by the party, Labor and MoveOn.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    …to pay for this new interview rig of mine; it behooves me to make sure folks get their money’s worth. :)

  • proudgop

    Nice interview and good candidate. I read one of the candidates running for GOP nod is now running as an Independent I worry about the 1-3% that can sometimes cost us seats

    VA is going to play such a critical role for us in Fall. We can pick 4 seats in the state

  • klondike

    May I ask what prompted you to showcase this particular candidate over the others? Did he contact you? Did he impress you more than his competitors? So far, he seems to be campaigning well. He is very wealthy, and has a lot of business leaders behind him. That is always a huge asset, but it can also cause other principled candidates to be shut out.

    One problem I have with him is that he referred to “this democracy.” This is a REPUBLIC, and it always disturbs me when people who desire a position of influence think we are a democracy. We are NOT.

    My understanding is that Scott Rigell has been actively involved in Republican politics for over 20 years, so although he cannot be judged on a voting history, he can be judged on his efforts toward electing Republicans. My understanding is that he has worked very hard – working the phones, going door to door, donating like crazy, etc. He has a history, whereas some (most) of his challengers do not.

    Do you have any plans to interview other contenders for VA-02? And do you plan to ask questions about issues other than the economy?

    Thanks in advance.

    Klondike

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    It depends on equal parts stuff that happens that I see, people trying to get my attention, and people getting back to me when I try to get theirs. With hundreds of House races and dozens of Senate/gubernatorial ones, there’s not exactly a shortage of material. :)

  • Jack_Savage

    He is running in the Republican primary to face permanent ultra – liberal fixture David Price in NC – 4. He is articulate, quite well informed on financial matters and gives us a great chance to take a seat that I feel sure is rated “Safe Democrat”. B.J. Lawson is a good man, and ran against Price when it wasn’t cool, but I like Roche (h/t VizBiz).

    Now perusing Moe’s blogging related wish list…

    PS – I do not work for Frank’s campaign, and any of the many intemperate comments made here by me should not reflect on him in any way, shape or form.

  • lifelongelephant

    Early on, many of us here in VA-2 really thought we had a broad field from which to choose. Chuck Smith was in then out then in then out again. Kenny Golden came in and he bowed out last week. Scott Taylor and Benito Loyola seemed like men of principle until Dupligate showed that they both suffer from the same lack of integrity that their plagiarized Contract on Congress would pretend to eradicate from the Hill. (Perhaps their lack of integrity actually makes them MORE qualified based on the current House make-up — I’ll have to mull that one over.) We are left with Jessica Sandlin, Bert Mizusawa, Ed Maulbeck and Scott Rigell.
    Today is not only Income Tax Day, but it’s also the day that a book on great American heroes of the Cold War hits America’s bookshelves. It’s worth noting that there is an entire chapter of this book (“Dangerous Games” by Scott Baron) that is dedicated to one of these four candidates. Let’s look across the entire field of all six candidates and pick out the things that voters SHOULD care about:
    1. Five have served in the military and one was a military wife.
    2. Three own their own businesses.
    3. One retired from the military.
    4. One still serves as a Brigadier General.
    5. One has earned the Silver Star and the Bronze Star.
    6. One graduated first in his class at West Point.
    7. One has served in both Iraq and in Afghanistan.
    8. One has a Harvard law degree.
    9. One has a Kennedy School of Government Masters in Public Administration.
    10. One has served as a staffer on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
    11. One has been in charge of the Department of the Army’s International Relations Department.
    and now . . .
    12. One is the subject of an entire chapter of a book on American heroes.

    As we pretend that these candidates bring equal experience, knowledge, and ability to this primary, perhaps it’s worth noting that only one candidate in this race meets the criteria established above in items 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 and that the best that the other six candidates can muster is qualifying for numbers 1, 2, and/or 3.

    By any and all comparisons, there is only one candidate who merits our support:
    Brigadier General Bert Mizusawa.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    nt