Scott Rigell

Edward Scott Rigell
Born	(1960-05-28) May 28, 1960 Titusville, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician
Years active	2011–2017 (U.S. House of Representatives)
Known for	U.S. Representative for Virginia's 2nd congressional district (2011–2017)

Edward Scott Rigell

Edward Scott Rigell (born May 28, 1960) is an American entrepreneur and former politician who represented Virginia's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 until 2017. Opting not to seek re-election in 2016, he concluded his term in January 2017. Notably, Rigell is the most recent individual to hold this seat without prior service in the United States Navy.

A member of the Republican Party, Rigell distanced himself from party leadership during the 2016 presidential election. In August of that year, he publicly withdrew his endorsement of the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, instead throwing his support behind Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. This stance placed him among the ranks of Republicans identified with the "Never Trump" faction.

Early life and education

Rigell grew up in Titusville, Florida. He dedicated six years to the United States Marine Corps Reserve from 1978 until 1984, achieving the rank of Sergeant. His father was a Marine who participated in World War II, notably landing on Iwo Jima, and his own son also serves as a Marine. Rigell earned an A.A. from Brevard Community College, followed by a BBA from Mercer University, and later completed a M.B.A. at Regent University.

Career

Before his tenure in Congress, Rigell and his then-wife Teri founded and maintained ownership of two new car dealerships operating under the Freedom Automotive name, with locations in Norfolk and Chesapeake/Virginia Beach.

2010

In a six-candidate Republican primary, Rigell secured the nomination by defeating Bert Mizusawa. The Hill identified this primary contest as one of the seven most significant Congressional primaries during that election cycle. Rigell was widely regarded as the frontrunner due to backing from the National Republican Congressional Committee and support from Eric Cantor—at least following the primary—and received an endorsement from Virginia’s Republican governor, Bob McDonnell.

During the primary campaign, opponents criticized Rigell for his dealerships’ participation in selling 138 vehicles through the Cash for Clunkers program, which he subsequently condemned as "reckless bailouts and an out-of-control federal debt." He emphasized that subsidies were provided directly to consumers upgrading to more fuel-efficient cars, not to dealers. A spokesperson indicated that Rigell felt a responsibility toward both his employees and customers. Additionally, criticism arose over his previous campaign donations to Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic primaries and to Virginia Democrat Louise Lucas in her contest against Randy Forbes. Rigell defended these contributions by stating he believed that Hillary Clinton would have been a less favorable presidential candidate.

Rigell has expressed that curbing government expenditure is his foremost goal and advocates for replacing the existing health care legislation with reforms driven by market principles. By June 4, 2010, he had invested $775,000 of his own money into his campaign efforts. Ultimately, Rigell defeated the Democratic incumbent Glenn Nye for Template:Ushr.

2012

In the 2012 election, Rigell faced opposition from Paul Hirschbiel, a businessman and the Democratic nominee.

2014

During the 2014 general election, Democrat Suzanne Patrick ran against Rigell.

Rigell emphasized prioritizing economic concerns rather than social topics in the 2014 campaign. He expressed, "My daily focus is not on social issues. I pursued this office because I believe we can improve job creation and I am worried about our fiscal path." He further mentioned, "Part of this involves reinforcing initiatives important to both women and men, such as early childhood education, ensuring children's safety, and providing strong opportunities after high school or college."

2016

In January 2016, Rigell declared he would not seek re-election in the 2016 race.

Tenure and political positions

Beginning his term in January 2011, Rigell joined the House during the largest Republican majority since the 1940s.

In June 2012, Rigell was among only two Republicans—alongside Steven LaTourette from Ohio—who opposed a resolution to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress over his management of the ATF gunwalking scandal. Billionaire Warren Buffett challenged Republicans by pledging to match any Treasury donations they made. Having already committed to returning 15% of his salary, Rigell informed Buffett of his contribution, prompting Buffett to agree to match it.

Social issues

Rigell identifies as "proudly pro-life" and stands against same-sex marriage. He also opposed repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In 2011, he co-sponsored legislation aimed at barring abortion coverage under the national Affordable Health Care law, preventing federal funding for Planned Parenthood, and forbidding taxpayer support for abortion. Additionally, Rigell supported the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. However, he declined to endorse Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate E.W. Jackson due to Jackson's anti-gay remarks.

Military and Foreign Affairs

Representing a district with the highest number of active and retired military personnel nationwide, Rigell has been a strong advocate for veterans. He endorsed the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Act, legislation approved by both the House and Senate that raised disability compensation rates for veterans injured during service. Rigell has consistently backed the ongoing military mission in Afghanistan, opposing efforts in 2011 aimed at withdrawing U.S. troops from the region. Conversely, he resisted the deployment of ground forces to Libya and became part of a bipartisan group urging President Obama and Congress to avoid hasty military involvement in Iraq.

In 2011, Rigell criticized the President’s military intervention in Libya as unconstitutional, arguing it breached the War Powers Resolution of 1973 due to the lack of Congressional approval. At the same time, he proposed an amendment to the Department of Defense FY2012 Appropriations bill intended to halt funding for U.S. military activities in Libya; however, this amendment did not pass in the House.

Following reports of a chemical weapons attack by Syria’s Assad regime in 2013, Rigell co-signed a letter to the President urging adherence to the War Powers Resolution by seeking Congressional consent prior to initiating any overseas military action. This appeal was supported by 139 House members, including 21 Democrats.

Additionally, Rigell backed a bipartisan resolution urging the United Nations to establish a Syrian War Crimes Tribunal. Introduced by Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, this resolution called for an immediate ceasefire in Syria and tasked the President with collaborating with the UN to investigate war crimes attributed to both Syrian government forces and rebel factions.

Budget

Rigell endorsed Paul Ryan's budget proposal, known as the Path to Prosperity, which advocated for repealing the 2010 healthcare reform law. In 2011, he openly condemned the Senate for its failure to act on the House's budget initiatives, stating, "Empirically we can show that the bottleneck is in the Senate – I hope every American stands up and says to Senator Reid: get these bills passed, we'll go to conference, let's work it out, we'll work weekends and get this thing moving again." Ultimately, Rigell supported S 627, the 2011 budget resolution that increased the debt ceiling and mandated a supercommittee to identify more definitive spending reductions.

Opposition to Donald Trump

Throughout the 2016 Republican presidential nomination process, Rigell was a vocal critic of Donald Trump's candidacy. In March 2016, he described Trump as a "con man" and a "bully," warning that a Trump presidency would be "reckless, embarrassing and ultimately dangerous." Rigell also declared he would not back Trump if he secured the nomination. He reiterated these sentiments in August 2016, asserting that both Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton were "equally unworthy" of holding the presidency and instead endorsed Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson.

Shortly after endorsing Johnson, Rigell resigned from the Virginia Beach Republican Party. According to his spokesperson, since Rigell refused to support the party’s presidential nominee, local party officials planned to revoke his membership; anticipating this action, Rigell chose to resign. Despite stepping down from his local GOP unit, he maintained his affiliation with the national Republican Party.

In August 2016, Rigell was among over 100 Republicans who signed a letter addressed to the Republican National Committee, urging it to withdraw its support from Trump's campaign and redirect resources toward congressional Republican candidates.

Committee assignments

• Appropriations Committee
  • Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee
  • Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
  • Legislative Branch Subcommittee

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Constitution Caucus

Personal life

In September 2023, he wed Deborah Horan.

External links

• Template:C-SPAN

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