Young Americans for Liberty hosts event with guest U.S. Representative Denver Riggleman
U.S. Representative Denver Riggleman, (VA-5), shared his story of going from a small business owner to a congressman to Liberty students March 20.
Young Americans for Liberty hosted the meeting in the Jerry Falwell Library. Clubs like Lifeline, College Republicans and Students at Liberty for Gun Rights attended.
Riggleman focused on his life story and how he became a U.S. Representative. The freshman congressman emphasized the importance of individual liberties and encouraged students to stay engaged and to keep fighting for these liberties.
“There is a fight going on between individual liberties and against the government trying to control your life,” Riggleman said. “You have to fight every day because you don’t even know sometimes that the stuff … in these bills (is) so damaging.”
IN HIS BLOOD – Rep. Riggleman said service is in his DNA, which is why he stepped up to serve in Congress, despite his personal feelings.
Before elected to Congress, Riggleman focused his time on his family-run distillery business, Silverback Distillery, which opened in 2014, and his job as a senior consultant for the Department of Defense, advocating for small business rights.
Since co-owning the distillery business alongside wife Christine Riggleman, CEO of the company, Riggleman said he has faced several instances where government restrictions have burdened his business. Because of this, Riggleman has a strong stance on government interference on people’s individual liberties.
“How do all of us make what’s right for us go forward and not have the government picking for us,” Riggleman said. “There is an ideological war between those who believe in individual liberty and those who do not.”
Riggleman said the reason he ran for Congress derives from his experience of being crushed by the government while trying to run a business.
“Why does that government have that kind of power to dictate your life, based on weaponizing regulations and weaponizing compliance and continually raising the tax burden, (so) that you don’t even want to be an entrepreneur anymore,” Riggleman said.
Despite not wanting to be a politician, Riggleman believes his service to the country is greater.
He said he would rather have his Wikipedia biography say “just a dude,” rather than “politician.”
“What I have seen already in the whole 10 weeks in Congress is that I am at the right place at the right time, and I absolutely hate it, but I am not going to leave because service is in my DNA,” Riggleman said.
Later, the discussion shifted into a question and answer session where clubs asked questions to the congressman, allowing him to give his perspective. One of the questions asked by a representative from Lifeline, LU’s pro-Life club, focused on the status of abortion and the Born Alive Bill, wondering what Congress will do to make a change.
Addyson Garner, state chair of YAL, organized the meeting so the students could hear Riggleman’s opinion on current issues such as gun rights and anti-abortion laws and what he faces on Capitol Hill.
“A lot of Liberty students were involved with congressman Riggleman’s campaign, so it was really meaningful that he came back and showed some support back to Liberty,” Garner said.
Members of College Republicans attended the meeting, many of whom had taken part in helping the congressman’s campaign during the fall election cycle. Vice Chair of College Republicans Jessica Hughes said Riggleman is a well-spoken and personable individual, so the club was excited to see him speak again.
Hughes said a meeting like this one is standard for College Republicans, as they have had Congressman Ben Cline of the 6th District of Virginia, local officials and Fox News campus ambassadors all attend their meeting in the past.
This event rounded out Riggleman’s three-day tour of 17 meetings and events throughout his district, focusing on local issues. Riggleman said he wants to look right in people’s eyes and ask what he can do to help them.
“As a congressman, my job is not to give you anything, but to remove all those regulations and all those obstacles so you can be great,” Riggleman said. “That’s my job, and it is scary, and I get my face beat in, but I am going to do it.”