Rigell to take on Nye in November

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Virginia Beach car salesman Scott Rigell won the Republican U.S. House 2nd District primary Tuesday night.

Rigell is the founder and Chairman of Freedom Automotive. He will take on Democratic incumbent Congressman Glenn Nye in the November 2 election.

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"We just stayed with a very positive campaign talked about my qualifications: my 28 years of business experience, about 20 years of being an entrepreneur, and the ideas I have to cut spending, to create jobs and change congress," said Rigell.

The mood at Rigellt's victory party was one of excitement, not only for his win this evening, but also at the prospect of taking the 2nd district seat.

Thelma Drake, former 2nd district congresswoman who lost to Glenn Nye last election, was called on stage. She praised Rigell and he in turn credited her with convincing him to run for congress. The celebration continued for about an hour.

And since Rigell's name has already been out there, he says he will now focus on his brand.

“Really clearly define how I am different from Glenn Nye and that is not hard to do, our life experience, the way we see our country and the challenges before us are profoundly different,” said Rigell.

Gov. Bob McDonnell's office also sent a release with a statement regarding Tuesday night's election results, where he discussed Rigell's win.

"Second district Republicans tonight nominated a strong leader and businessman in Scott Rigell," he said in the release. "I have known Scott for decades, and he is exactly who we need in Washington to get our economy back on track and get Virginians back to work."

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The only Republican congressman challenged in Tuesday's U.S. House primaries won easy nomination over a challenger who is a tea party favorite. In Virginia's 1st District, Rob Wittman won with nearly 90 percent of the vote over Catherine Crabill.

State Sen. Robert Hurt easily won the Republican U.S. House primary in Virginia's 5th District, pitting him against Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello in November.

And in the 11th District, Keith Fimian won the GOP primary to reprise his unsuccessful 2008 race against freshman Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly.