Angela Rigas
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Angela Rigas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 79th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Pauline Wendzel (redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Hastings High School |
Angela Rigas is an American politician from Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in the 2022 election from the 79th district, and took office in 2023.[1] After the 2020 presidential election, Rigas questioned the election result and took part in the rally that preceded the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol.[2]
Rigas, a salon owner, defied stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan. In May 2020, she was one of seven barbers cited for disorderly conduct for their participation in the "Operation Haircut" protest, in which they refused to stop offering free haircuts on the lawn outside the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing.[3][4] The charges against the seven were ultimately dismissed.[4] Rigas also espoused anti-vaccine misinformation.[2]
On January 6, 2021, Rigas participated in the Washington, D.C., rally that preceded the attack against the U.S. Capitol by an armed, far-right mob of Donald Trump supporters who stormed the seat of Congress.[2][5] In a January 6 Facebook post, Rigas denounced U.S. Capitol Police officers who responded to the riot, comparing them to Revolutionary-era British redcoats.[4] Rigas called the day "a highlight of my life"[5] and claimed that she had been tear-gassed while outside the Capitol.[2][6] Throughout 2021, Rigas promoted Trump's false claim that he was the real winner of the 2020 presidential election in Michigan, and she was among a number of election deniers who gained influence within the Michigan Republican Party.[7]