Spartan Echo

WASHINGTON (AP) — A three-term Republican congressman from Virginia who was part of the 2010 wave that gave the GOP control of Congress said Thursday, Jan. 14, that he will retire, relinquishing a seat that Democrats could win in this November’s elections.

Rep. Scott Rigell, 55, was elected to his Virginia Beach district as part of the tea party class of 2010. He proved to be a maverick with a centrist record in Congress, co-sponsoring a Democratic bill creating criminal penalties for people secretly buying guns for others and criticizing some conservatives’ demands that lawmakers pledge to never raise taxes.

He was also among the 25 GOP lawmakers who revolted against party leaders and voted last January  against retaining Ohio Rep. John Boehner as House speaker.

In a statement, Rigell said he is leaving after helping to check Democrats who controlled the White House and Congress in 2010 and to curb federal spending.

“Has a meaningful difference been made and it’s time go home, or is serving in Congress a career and the hope is to serve much longer?” he said of his decision. “Given the two alternatives, my belief in term limits, and in reflecting upon what my team and I have accomplished, I am at peace about coming home.”

Rigell’s district voted narrowly for President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Federal courts are expected to soon approve new boundaries for the state’s congressional districts that could modestly redraw his district.

Democrats are considered unlikely to win enough seats in November to capture House control.