VA Congressman-Elect Backed by Tea Party won’t commit to House Caucus

Tuesday's election swept a host of new House Republicans into office, including Congressman-elect Scott Rigell, who unseated freshman incumbent Congressman Glenn Nye in Virginia's second district.

Appearing Sunday on Fox News, Rigell wouldn't commit to joining a Tea Party caucus in the House, saying that's a decision he'll make when he gets to Washington. Rigell's reluctance to say whether or not he plans to join the caucus could offend some Tea Party supporters in Hampton Roads, VA, where Rigell signed on to a seven-part Tea Party pledge back in August. The Hampton Roads group however, stopped short of endorsing Rigell during his campaign.

Rigell said he's ready to get to work in Washington and is looking forward being "part of a class that will really and truly live out the reforms they ran on." Following Tuesday's victory, Rigell announced eight reforms he'll abide by while in office, including vows not to campaign at taxpayer expense, enroll in the Government pension program, or serve more than 12 years in Congress.

Rigell handily defeated Nye by 10 points on Election night. The Congressman-elect, who has never held public office, makes his living as owner of a series of car dealerships in Virginia. Throughout the midterm election season, poll watchers had their eye on the VA-2 race, suspecting that Nye would be an easy target for Republicans, who depicted him as someone with strong ties to both President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.