Elections should be about issues and ideas, not endorsements; but many of us at The Bull Elephant want to let our readers know why Denver Riggleman’s candidacy is so important to us. Steve Thomas, Robert Kenyon, and I have been hoping for a change agent to enter the gubernatorial race for well over a year now and we finally have a candidate worth volunteering for and supporting.
Denver Riggleman is a guy just like us. He’s not a career politician. He’s not ambitious for political power. He’s running to change things in Richmond which have negatively affected all of us, strangled our small businesses, marginalized our local governments, and to sign reform legislation to replace laws that have made it harder for average Virginians to find high paying jobs in the Commonwealth.
You can see where Denver Riggleman stands on the issues here, and you can meet Mr. Riggleman this Saturday at Silverback Distillery in Afton, Virginia. I would encourage you to do so. I recognize that Denver is going to need to establish name ID quickly, but I believe once people become acquainted with Denver that they are going to want to support him… Because he supports us.
From Steve Thomas:
So much of the future of the GOP, both locally and nationally, depends on whether we learn the right lessons from 2016. Very few saw Donald Trump coming, yet he did as well in Virginia as he did in Rhode Island as he did in Texas.
That lesson? The American people think both parties are corrupt, they have perverted the system to their own ends so it no longer favors the common man, and they are dominated by soulless politicians whose only interest is personal gain.
That is the lesson we must learn, as a party, to be successful. And to that end, next year’s primaries look like a good test.
Do we nominate a candidate who was a career lobbyist, who authored and promoted the 2007 unconstitutional transportation taxes?
Or does the candidate who has stood up to the state’s most powerful lobbies, at great personal risk, sound like more of what the common man could relate to?
Apparently the people of Virginia agree, because in the most recent survey taken right before the holidays, Mr. Gillespie was mired with less than a quarter of the primary vote despite being the only candidate among the four to run a statewide race (and the only candidate among the four to lose a general election). In that poll, taken before Denver announced, 58% (almost 6 in 10) voters were undecided.
Folks, that’s not electable.
The Commonwealth has problems, serious problems. We were ranked the 4th most corrupt state in the country in 2015, and the last 2 governors have made it clear Richmond is a cesspool of corruption where unseemly behavior is not only tolerated, but encouraged. It is a swamp that needs draining, not managing, my friends.
In the middle of it is Dominion Power, its tall building standing in Richmond like a middle finger pointed at the people of Virginia. The biggest donor to Republicans and Democrats. They donate massive amounts to those who regulate them. And they operate with impunity.
And yet, one man stood up to them: Denver Riggleman. And if he can stand up fearlessly to the most powerful oligopoly in the state, it’s a good bet he could stand up to the powers that be to make the changes that the corrupt Richmond system desperately needs. His liberty-minded and anti-cronyist platform is a perfect fit for Virginia in 2017. His nomination would announce proudly that the Republicans in Virginia have learned the lessons of 2016- even as Democrats now face that very same choice.
It’s time to elect the only candidate who will drain the swamp. His folksy style and hefty business contacts will make him a fundraising dynamo among individual donors, ie, the voters he will be beholden to. He would also be a tough candidate to beat in the general, with no baggage to attack, a decorated military service background and impeccable business resume.
It’s time to stop settling. Let’s use this time, this unique moment in our history, to actually change something for the better, to actually protect our liberties instead of negotiate them away, to clean up the putrid mess in Richmond.
Denver Riggleman is our man. We’re in.
Mr. Thomas speaks for many of us who are looking for someone with a record of going toe to toe with the corporatist, special-interest driven agenda which has gone unopposed for decades in Richmond.
Robert Kenyon echoes Mr. Thomas’ position:
We also must stand against the incarnation of corruption and political evil in RPV. Let’s not forget what these folks are about. We need to make an example of this candidate.
Lastly, the candidate who will take, and abandon, any position, or group of supporters, for even temporary political advantage, is not an option for conservatives. One cannot play the populist and feed off the Trump rage and still play ball with PWC developers.
This is the year to take a risk. It’s clear the same old inside baseball won’t solve the Old Dominion’s problems. Radical, authentic change is needed. Denver Riggleman is the only candidate in the race who can offer that.
As for myself, I am supporting Denver Riggleman for Governor because of his positions on School Choice, Tuition Reform, Property Rights, and his unwavering commitment to taking on the Bureaucracy in Richmond. Remember, Governors are not legislators. As Governor, Mr. Riggleman would not be in charge of which laws make it to his desk.
A Governorship is an executive position. I want to elect/hire Denver Riggleman as the CEO of Virginia. I want a Governor who knows how to stand up to special interests, lobbyists, and cronyism. Denver is the only candidate I trust to represent us. Learn about his story and you’ll understand why there is zero chance that Denver would sell us out on behalf of corporate interests. If anyone has the motivation and ability to drain the swamp in Richmond, it’s Denver Riggleman.
Let’s bring prosperity back to Virginia. Let’s make Virginia a great place for business again. Let’s nominate Denver Riggleman for Governor.
