Richmond, VA – This morning, former GOP Congressman Riggleman made news by crossing party lines and endorsing Senator Tim Kaine because he is a good man who has always stood up for Virginians.
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Washington Post: Former GOP Rep. Riggleman endorses Democratic Sen. Kaine of Virginia
Laura Vozzella
October 16, 2024
- Former Republican congressman Denver Riggleman on Wednesday said he will endorse Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) for reelection, praising the Democrat’s character and record in Washington.
- “Senator Tim Kaine is a good man who has always looked out for Virginians,” Riggleman, who represented Virginia’s rural 5th District for one term, said in a written statement obtained by The Washington Post. “Tim is thoughtful on policy and is willing to work across the aisle to deliver for Virginians across the Commonwealth.”
- Kaine, a former Virginia governor who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, is seeking a third term in Washington. He faces Republican Hung Cao, a retired Navy captain who served in Navy Special Operations and was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
- Cao has never held elected office but made an unsuccessful bid to unseat Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) in the 10th District in 2022.
- Riggleman, a former Air Force intelligence officer and distillery owner, represented central Virginia in Washington for two years. He lost the GOP nomination in 2020 to Bob Good, a self-described “biblical conservative,” after presiding over a same-sex wedding — a move that inflamed the district’s social conservatives.
- Riggleman ran twice with Trump’s backing but broke with him and many fellow Republicans over the Jan. 6 insurrection. After leaving Congress, he served as a senior staff member on the House committee that investigated the 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol.
- “I’m honored to have earned Congressman Riggleman’s endorsement. He knows how important it is to put party aside to deliver for Virginians,” Kaine said in a written statement that noted his own efforts to work with Republican Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.), Katie Boyd Britt (Ala.) and Joni Ernst (Iowa) on issues as diverse as NATO, child care and fentanyl.
- Riggleman has crossed party lines with endorsements before. In August, he backed Vice President Kamala Harris for president over Trump. In 2022, Riggleman appeared in a TV ad urging voters to support Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) as she sought reelection in the competitive 7th District.
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