Read the Hampton Roads Tea Party fact sheet on Rigell and see for yourself. This guy now claims to be a “conservative,” but in the past he did the following un-“conservative” things.
*Gave $1,000 to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, because he “was moved by [Obama’s] rhetoric and by the prospect of seeing a minority rise to the highest office in our land.”
*”Before that, Rigell gave $1,000 to then-gubenatorial candidate Democrat Mark Warner, (source: VPAP.org) who went on to sign into law the largest tax increase in Virginia’s history!
Does that sound like a fiscally conservative Republican?” (of course, that’s a ridiculous line of attack on Mark Warner, but be that as it may, it’s not going to be popular among the tea party crowd)
*”But it gets worse. In 2002, Rigell bankrolled ($10,000!) the YES Campaign- a failed referendum that would raise the sales tax of Hampton Roads residents (that’s the 2nd district!). If passed, sales taxes in Hampton Roads would have increased by 22%!!!” Wow, this guy simply is NOT a “conservative” in the tea party mold. Period. In fact, based on this letter, it’s hard to imagine how any tea partier could ever support him. That could, of course, kill him in the general election. Which is why, as a Democrat, I strongly hope that Scott Rigell wins the Republican nomination on June 8. Go Rigell! 🙂
P.S. “Loudoun Insider” of Too Conservative wonders if Bob McDonnell and Bill Bolling are “completely clueless or poorly served by staff” in endorsing Scott Rigell for the 2nd CD Republican nomination. LI wonders, “Did they know this donation history and chose to ignore it? Or did their staff simply do no vetting of this guy?” Good questions.
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