Thread by @petersagal

A few words on Congressman Riggleman, who's leaving office shortly.

I first became aware of him when he ran for the office in 2018 and we made fun of him for being a fan of "Bigfoot erotica..." which... was sort of true! He's a Bigfoot lore enthusiast, though not a believer.

https://twitter.com/RepRiggleman/status/1340714044395810819

He won his election and served as a straightforward libertarian Republican. He himself owns and operates a distillery, so has a particular interest in deregulation of business, including the hemp business. congress.gov/bill/116th-con…

But in 2019, true to his principles (ie, Government should leave people alone to do what they want) he officiated a wedding between two of his campaign volunteers, both men. And the local GOP in his district Did Not Like That.

thehill.com/homenews/house…

So Congressman Riggleman was challenged for the GOP nomination in 2020 by a Liberty U official named Bob Good, who said the Congressman had "abandoned conservative principles."

roanoke.com/news/politics/…

But instead of a primary, the local GOP decided to hold a in-person nominating convention at an evangelical church during the pandemic. (They ended up making it a drive-thru convention.) Congressman Riggleman lost.

richmond.com/news/virginia/…

If you're saying to yourself, "Wait, I've heard of that Good fellow" you're most likely remembering this, from the Trump rally to overturn the election last weekend.

wsls.com/news/local/202…

Mr Good is about to take his seat as a Congressman from Virginia's 5th District, and Mr Riggleman is going to go home and make whiskey. I wish him well, and almost feel bad about the Bigfoot jokes.

washingtonpost.com/local/virginia…