Incumbent Ben Cline wins 6th district in Republican primary

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Ben Cline has won the Republican nomination for U.S. House in Virginia’s 6th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press.

Cline has served in Congress since 2019. Tuesday night, he told WHSV he is honored the voters chose him as he seeks his third term.

Since redistricting of the state, the 6th congressional district has grown, now including the entire Shenandoah Valley. Cline said leading up to the Republican primaries, he has traveled to new areas of the district to speak with voters.

“The new district really unifies the Shenandoah and Roanoke valleys, so the policies that they want to see enacted in Washington are very similar,” Cline said. “They want to see a secure border. They want to see lower energy costs and gas prices.”

The congressman recently sat down with WHSV’s Bob Grebe. He spoke about ongoing inflation and skyrocketing gas prices.

“We can start to address inflation by becoming energy independent again,” Cline said. “We would bring down gas prices.”

He also spoke on recent gun violence in the country.

“I’m a strong defender of our Second Amendment rights,” Cline said. “What we have to do is find ways to protect children in schools while respecting the Constitution... by putting SROs, school resource officers in every school.”

He said the issue behind these mass shootings is a crisis in American culture. That’s where school resource officers and mental health counselors could step in to help.

Cline defeated political newcomer Merritt Hale on Tuesday night.

Now, the incumbent will take on Democratic challenger Jennifer Lewis in November.

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