Ben Cline

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For the American cinematographer, see Benjamin H. Kline.
Ben Cline
Official portrait, 2018
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byBob Goodlatte
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 24th district
In office
November 26, 2002 – December 18, 2018
Preceded byVance Wilkins
Succeeded byRonnie Campbell
Personal details
Born
Benjamin Lee Cline

(1972-02-29) February 29, 1972 (age 53)
Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Elizabeth Rocovich
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2
EducationBates College (BA)
University of Richmond (JD)
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website

Benjamin Lee Cline (born February 29, 1972) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 6th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the 24th district in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2018.[1]

Early life and education

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Cline was born on February 29, 1972, in Stillwater, Oklahoma,[1][2] and grew up in Rockbridge County, Virginia.[3] He is the son of Philip L. Cline and Julie Cline.[2]

Cline graduated from Lexington High School in 1990,[3] and graduated with a B.A. from Bates College in 1994.[1][4] He earned a J.D. degree from University of Richmond School of Law in 2007.[1]

Career outside of politics

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From 2002 to 2007, including his years in law school, Cline was president of NDS Corporation, a Virginia-based company providing sales and marketing assistance to rural Internet and technology businesses.[citation needed] After graduating from law school, he served as an assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for Rockingham County and the city of Harrisonburg until 2013.[5][independent source needed] Before his election to Congress, Cline maintained a private law practice in Lexington, Harrisonburg, and Amherst.[6]

Political career

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Cline with Bob Goodlatte in October 2005

Cline worked on Capitol Hill from 1994-2002 for U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte. During his tenure with his predecessor, he rose from legislative correspondent to become Rep. Goodlatte's chief of staff.[7][8]

Cline began his political career in 2002 in a special election to the Virginia House of Delegates, replacing incumbent delegate Vance Wilkins, who resigned due to sexual harassment allegations.[9] Cline won with 57% of the vote against Democratic former Lexington mayor Mimi Elrod.[citation needed] Cline represented the 24th district, which consisted of Bath and Rockbridge counties, the cities of Buena Vista and Lexington, and parts of Amherst and Augusta counties.[citation needed]

Cline and Bob Goodlatte at the Rockbridge Community Festival in August 2008

In 2003, Cline won again with 69% of the vote against independent E. W. Sheffield.[citation needed] In 2005, he won with 62% of the vote against Democrat David Cox. Cline ran unopposed in 2007.[citation needed] In 2009, Cline ran against Democratic Amherst native Jeff Price and won with 71% of the vote, taking the Lexington City precinct for the first time since Price's election in 2002[verification needed] and every precinct in the 24th House of Delegates district.[citation needed] Cline ran unopposed in both 2011 and 2013.[citation needed] In 2015, Cline won 71% of the vote against Democrat Ellen Arthur.[citation needed] In 2017, he was reelected with 72% of the vote against independent candidate John Winfrey.[10]

In November 2017, Cline announced he would run for Congress in Virginia's 6th congressional district in 2018 for the seat being vacated by retiring incumbent Bob Goodlatte.[11] On May 19, 2018, Cline won the Republican nomination on the first ballot at the district convention.[citation needed]

Cline won the election on November 6, 2018, winning 15 Virginia localities, but with a historically low 59.8% versus Democrat Jennifer Lewis.[12][13] He resigned from the Virginia House of Delegates on December 18, 2018.[14]

State legislative career

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Cline in the House Chamber next to state delegate Terrie Suit

Committee assignments

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Cline served on the House of Delegates Committees on Commerce and Labor, Courts of Justice, Finance, and chaired the Militia, Police and Public Safety. He was also a member of Commerce and Labor Subcommittee #2, Commerce and Labor Special Subcommittee on Energy, Courts of Justice Subcommittee on Criminal Law, Courts of Justice Subcommittee on Judicial Systems and Finance Subcommittee #2.[15][independent source needed] Cline also co-chaired the Virginia Joint Legislative Conservative Caucus, co-chaired in the Senate of Virginia by Mark Obenshain.[16][better source needed]

Government regulation

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In 2006, Cline passed two bills, HB1130 and HB1131, that changed the administrative setup of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.[17][18] In 2009, he passed HB2285, which created a searchable database of Virginia's agency expenditures.[19] Additionally, Cline went after the Virginia Lottery in 2009 for the allotment of over $1 million of state funds to use the likeness of Howie Mandel and Donald Trump on lottery tickets.[20]

Public safety

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Cline was named Legislator of the Year by the Virginia Court Clerks' Association in 2011 and by the Virginia Sheriff's Association in 2012.[21]

Cline also introduced several bills regarding the rights of defendants and inmates. In 2003, he introduced HB2231, which gives probation officers greater access to juvenile defendants' records so that risk assessments could be more easily prepared.[22] In 2009 he opposed the closure of the Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center, the last remaining facility solely for nonviolent offenders in the Commonwealth of Virginia at the time of its closing,[23] and introduced HB873 in 2010 to require the Department of Juvenile Justice to keep at least one facility open for nonviolent juvenile offenders.[24] In 2012, Cline helped negotiate a compromise between law enforcement and prisoner advocates regarding HB836, which restricted the usage of restraints on pregnant inmates, by supporting the intent of the legislation in the form of a rule change by the Virginia Board of Corrections, winning praise locally for his involvement on the issue.[25][26][27] In 2013, Cline helped craft and supported HB2103, which improves parole process for inmates still eligible for parole in Virginia.[28][failed verification]

Abortion

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Carmen Forman of The Roanoke Times called Cline "staunchly anti-abortion."[29] In 2007 and subsequent years, he introduced legislation requiring that information regarding the option of providing anesthesia to the baby be given to women seeking abortions after 20 weeks and requiring doctors to do so if requested by the mother.[30][31][32]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2018

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See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia § District 6
Convention
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Cline announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives, in a bid to replace outgoing Representative Bob Goodlatte, for whom Cline had previously served as chief of staff. He entered a field of eight candidates, his top rival being Cynthia Dunbar, the incumbent RNC Committeewoman from Virginia.

The convention process was immediately tainted by accusations that the District Committee leadership was attempting to slant the convention in Dunbar's favor. 6th District Chairman Scott Sayre was heard admonishing the other candidates that their primary goal needed to be to defeat Cline. 6th District Vice Chair Matthew Tederick was a paid staffer for Dunbar, as were several other members of the District Committee.

Led by Dunbar supporters, the District Committee attempted to push through a "plurality" rule for the Congressional race so that whoever got the highest vote on the first ballot would win. In a field of eight candidates, that number could have been significantly lower than 51% (even as low as 20%), which elicited accusations that the District Committee thought that Dunbar couldn't beat Cline on her own merits. This rule was challenged to the State Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia and overturned by the SCC. It turned out to be unnecessary since Rockingham County Clerk of Court Chaz Haywood (another candidate) dropped out of the race at the Convention and endorsed Cline.[33] With that endorsement, Cline received 52.62% of the vote to Dunbar's 39.15%.

The final tally was: Cline, 52.62%; Dunbar, 39.15%; Douglas Wright, 3.63%; Elliot Pope, 2.59%; Michael Desjadon, 1.19%; Eduardo Justo, 0.51%; Kathryn McDaniel Lewis, 0.25%, and Haywood, who appeared on the ballot despite his late withdrawal, 0.06%. With Cline winning a majority on the first ballot, he secured the nomination and moved on to the general election.

General election
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According to Amy Friedenberger of The Roanoke Times, Cline established himself in his 16 years in the Virginia House of Delegates "as a conservative who opposes abortion rights and seeks to protect gun rights... [who said] he would take his fiscal conservatism to Washington."[12] According to the Staunton News Leader, a USA Today newspaper in Cline's district, Cline's House campaign website detailed "his record of supporting conservative legislation in the House of Delegates... [where he] voted against a tax increase, helped make budget cuts to the state's 'bloated bureaucracy,' and sponsored legislation that would ban sanctuary cities".[34] At his election victory celebration, Representative-elect Cline told his supporters, "Being part of the checks and balances that our Founding Fathers envisioned is a responsibility that I will guard seriously."[34] In an interview as he arrived for his swearing in at the House, Cline described to a Staunton, Virginia, news reporter his 6th district as having 800,000 constituents in "19 cities and counties... each one [with] different character and different political affiliations".[35]

2020

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See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia § District 6

Cline was reelected in 2020 with 64.7% of the vote, defeating Democrat Nicholas Betts.[36]

2022

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See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia § District 6
Cline with Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2022

Cline was reelected in 2022 with 64.4% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jennifer Lewis. The election took place in the newly redrawn 6th district following reapportionment.[37]

Tenure

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Cline's assignments in the House include serving on the Judiciary Committee, which includes some responsibilities regarding the Mueller Report.[38]

In December 2020, Cline was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[39] incumbent Donald Trump.

On January 6, 2021, Cline voted against certifying the election of President-elect Biden.[40]

According to an algorithm developed by researchers at FiveThirtyEight, although Cline is a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, his voting record aligns more with "far-right obstructionists" like Marjorie Taylor Greene.[41][42]

Israel

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He voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel[43][44]

Committee assignments

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Caucus memberships

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Electoral history

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Virginia's 6th congressional district, 2018[51]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ben Cline 167,957 59.7
Democratic Jennifer Lewis 113,133 40.2
N/A Write-ins 287 0.1
Total votes 281,377 100.0
Republican hold
Virginia's 6th congressional district, 2020[52]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ben Cline (incumbent) 246,606 64.6
Democratic Nicholas Betts 134,729 35.3
N/A Write-ins 478 0.1
Total votes 381,813 100.0
Republican hold
Virginia's 6th congressional district, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ben Cline (incumbent) 173,352 64.4
Democratic Jennifer Lewis 95,410 35.4
N/A Write-ins 472 0.2
Total votes 269,234 100.0
Republican hold
Virginia's 6th congressional district, 2024[53]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ben Cline (incumbent) 256,933 63.1
Democratic Ken Mitchell 141,612 34.8
Independent Robby Wells 7,980 2.0
Write-in 510 0.1
Total votes 407,035 100.0
Republican hold

Personal life

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Cline married Elizabeth Rocovich Cline in 2007; they have twin daughters. Since his election to Congress, he has moved from his longtime home in Rockbridge County, near Lexington, to Botetourt County.[1][35][6] He is Catholic and attends St. Patrick's Church in Lexington.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Virginia House of Delegates Staff (2019-07-24). "Benjamin L. 'Ben' Cline". State of Virginia. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  2. ^ a b Jeff Hanna, "W&L Mourns Loss of Phil Cline, Emeritus Economics Professor" The Columns 2010-01-14 https://columns.wlu.edu/wl-mourns-loss-of-phil-cline-emeritus-economics-professor/ (accessed 2022-08-23)
  3. ^ a b Who's Who Among American High School Students (Educational Communications, Inc., 1989), p. 294 (accessed 2022-08-23 on Google Books)
  4. ^ McConville, Emily (2019-06-26). "Similar but different, Congressmen Ben Cline '94 and Jared Golden '11 return for Reunion". Bates College. Lewiston, Maine. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  5. ^ Ben Cline for Delegate. "Delegate Ben Cline – Biography". Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  6. ^ a b "About Ben". Ben Cline for Congress. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  7. ^ https://cline.house.gov/about/
  8. ^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-cline-7517406/
  9. ^ Fiske, Warren; Nuckols, Christina (2002-06-14). "Wilkins Calls it Quits One Week After Sexual Harassment Allegations Surfaced, Leader Leaves Post Saying He Feels He Was 'Abandoned' by the GOP". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, VA. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  10. ^ Virginia Department of Elections Staff (2017-11-13). "2017 November General—Official Results". Results.Elections.Virginia.gov. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  11. ^ "Delegate Ben Cline Announces Run for Goodlatte's Seat in Congress". WHSV.com. Harrisonburg, VA: WHSV-TV3. 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  12. ^ a b Friedenberger, Amy (2018-11-06). "Republican Ben Cline Defeats Democrat Jennifer Lewis in 6th District Race". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, VA. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  13. ^ "Virginia house [election results, map]". CNN. 2019-12-21. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  14. ^ Friedenberger, Amy (2018-11-09). "After Del. Ben Cline's Congressional Win, Special Election to Fill Seat Set for Dec. 18". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, VA. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  15. ^ Virginia House of Delegates. "Bio for Benjamin L. Cline". Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  16. ^ "Virginia Conservative Caucus". Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  17. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1130 > 2006 Session".
  18. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1131 > 2006 Session".
  19. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2285 > 2009 Session".
  20. ^ Cline, Ben. "Delegate cline announces the passage of budget transparency bill". Archived from the original on 2009-06-10. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  21. ^ "Del. Ben Cline receives service award from Virginia Sheriffs' Association".
  22. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2231 > 2003 Session".
  23. ^ "Del. Ben Cline says 1,700+ sign petition to keep Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center open". Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  24. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB873 > 2010 Session".
  25. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB836 > 2012 Session".
  26. ^ "Virginia prisons board tentatively OKs shackling rules". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  27. ^ "Editorial: Unshackling pregnant inmates". Archived from the original on 2014-01-24. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  28. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2103 > 2103 Session".
  29. ^ Forman, Carmen (January 16, 2017). "Ben Cline's 'Day of Tears' Abortion Mourning Resolution Advances in General Assembly". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, VA. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  30. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2456 > 2007 Session".
  31. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1556 > 2008 Session".
  32. ^ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2634 > 2009 Session".
  33. ^ "Convention selects Ben Cline as nominee for open seat in Va". AP News. Harrisonburg. May 19, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  34. ^ a b "Del. Ben Cline Wins 6th District U.S. House Race". Staunton News Leader. Staunton, VA. November 6, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  35. ^ a b Fair, Julia (January 3, 2019). "Ben Cline Made It to Congress, Here's How His First Day Went". Staunton News Leader. Staunton, VA. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  36. ^ Rosario, Nicole Del (2020-11-04). "Ben Cline projected to win reelection in Virginia's 6th Congressional District, according to NBC News". WSLS. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  37. ^ "Virginia Sixth Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. 8 November 2022.
  38. ^ Simon, Scott (March 23, 2019). "Rep. Ben Cline On The Mueller Report". Weekend Edition Saturday. NPR. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  39. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  40. ^ Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lu, Denise (2021-01-07). "The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  41. ^ Yang, Tia; Burton, Cooper; Radcliffe, Mary; Marriner, Katie; Brown, Amina (1 May 2024). "The 8 Types Of Democrats And Republicans In The House". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  42. ^ Druke, Galen; Burton, Cooper. "538 algorithm groups House members by how they actually vote". ABC News. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  43. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (2023-10-25). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  44. ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (2023-10-25). "Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2023-10-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  45. ^ "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Ben Cline. Archived from the original on 2019-02-01.
  46. ^ "As House Republicans Brace for Losses, Freedom Caucus Prepares for Growth". Roll Call. 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  47. ^ "Featured Members". Problem Solvers Caucus. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  48. ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  49. ^ "Rare Disease Congressional Caucus". Every Life Foundation for Rare Diseases. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  50. ^ "Caucus Memberships". Congressional Western Caucus. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  51. ^ "Official Results". 2018 November General. Virginia Department of Elections. November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  52. ^ "2020 November General Official Results". Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  53. ^ "2024 November General November 5, 2024 OFFICIAL RESULTS". enr.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 8, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 6th congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
195th 		Succeeded by