Virginia’s Riggleman Says He’s Considering Bid for Governor

(Bloomberg) -- Virginia Republican Representative Denver Riggleman said he’s seriously considering running for governor, just weeks after his own party voted against giving him a second term in Congress.

Riggleman said he may take what would be a long-shot run as a third-party candidate.

“The Virginia Republican Party is so broken,” he said in an interview on Bloomberg Radio’s “Sound On” program. “Maybe it is time for a third-party run.”

Riggleman was elected to the House from his south-central Virginia district in 2018 but he was ousted by Republican voters in a district party convention in June and won’t be on the ballot in November.

He said he hopes to make a decision by either September or October. He said he has gotten encouragement to run for state-wide office from supporters. He described public office as a “service job” and not as his career.

“It is tough to run as an independent but I’m pretty independent minded,” Riggleman said.

Virginia’s gubernatorial election is Nov. 2, 2021. Whether as a Republican or a third-party candidate, Riggleman likely would face a tough road in a state that is turning increasingly Democratic. The last two governors were Democrats, as are the state’s two U.S. senators.

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