Freshman Rep. Nye gets top Republican opponent

Businessman Scott Rigell said Wednesday that he will seek the seat of freshman Rep. Glenn Nye (D-Va.) in 2010.

Rigell plugs another important hole for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which in recent days has landed candidates to run against freshmen in New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states.

{mosads}Nye is a top Republican target in 2010, as he represents a traditional swing district in Virginia Beach that was formerly held by Rep. Thelma Drake (R-Va.). Nye defeated Drake in 2008 by five points.

Rigell emerged after state Sen. Ken Stolle declined to run for the seat and instead opted to run for Virginia Beach sheriff. Rigell has been in talks with the national party, which is enthusiastic about his candidacy.

“As I look at it, I think there is a serious breach of duty taking place in Washington,” Rigell told the The Hill. “And there are right now serious consequences taking place.”

Along with announcing his candidacy Wednesday, Rigell announced the endorsements of Drake, state Sen. Frank Wagner, state Del. Sal Iaquinto, state Del. Bob Purkey, Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Harvey Bryant, Virginia Beach City Councilmen Ron Villanueva and Bill DeSteph, and Robert Martinez, the state’s former secretary of transportation.

Rigell, 49, is founder and president of Freedom Automotive and owns car dealerships throughout the Virginia Beach area. Republicans feel his business background and name ID from his dealerships make him formidable in the race against Nye.

A former Marine, he was appointed to the state’s Motor Vehicle Board by former Gov. George Allen (R) and has been a consistent supporter of Republicans over the last decade-plus, with the notable exception of a contribution to President Obama last year.

Rigell is unlikely to have a clear primary. Businessman Ed Maulbeck and Marine veteran Chuck Smith have officially entered the race, and businessman Ben Loyola is also very interested.

“I certainly expect it to be a contested nomination,” Rigell said. “And in some ways that is good because it prepares me for the general and makes me bring my ‘A’ game. I have to be on from the beginning.”

Rigell has already drawn some heat for his $1,000 contribution to Obama during the Democratic primary last year. He criticized the president’s handling of the economy Wednesday, but said he didn’t regret the donation.

He cast it as more of an anti-Clinton donation than a pro-Obama one.

“Sixteen months ago, the political landscape was very different than it is now,” Rigell said, noting the heated primary. “I was concerned, frankly, that one of them would win, and I was not indifferent to which one of them got the nomination.”

Nye’s political survival depends in large part on his ability to keep the Navy’s newest nuclear aircraft carrier from moving to Florida. He has been lobbying his colleagues hard and recently worked to get funding for the transfer of the carrier stripped briefly from a bill.

His office declined to comment Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Jessica Santillo, said: “While Rep. Nye continues to be an independent fighter who stands up for veterans and military families and works across the aisle to create and save jobs, Republican candidates are offering the same failed policies that led to the current crisis.”

Republicans lost Drake’s and two other seats in Virginia last year. They also have high hopes for recovering Rep. Tom Perriello’s (D-Va.) Charlottesville-based district, and have been relentless in pegging Perriello on his vote with Democrats on the recent energy bill, which could prove a political liability.

In that race, former Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) is weighing whether he wants to attempt a return to Congress.

The other seat Republicans lost in 2008 was in Northern Virginia, where Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) won an open-seat race after Rep. Tom Davis’s (R-Va.) retirement.