CONGRESS Republican incumbent Ben Cline was celebrating on election night after handily defeating Democratic challenger Ken Mitchell by nearly 30 points in Virginia's 6th Congressional District. But he didn't fare so well within his own party when it came to seeking a leadership role in the new Congress. Cline had wanted the coveted post of chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus in the House of Representatives and that largest of any caucus in the House.
The committee is considered a springboard for Republican leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana once held the position. Unfortunately for Cline, he lost his bid last week to Rep.
August Pfluger of Texas in a 80-57 vote. Cline is undaunted. And in an interview with The News Virginian spoke highly of the man who bested him.
"I'm willing to serve the Republican Conference wherever my skills can be used," Cline said while visiting his constituents in Fishersville. "I'm a policy wonk, and I'm focused on policy." Cline captured more than 63% of the vote in his bid for a fourth term representing the 6th, a deep-red district that stretches north and south up and down the Shenandoah Valley.
Republicans likewise fared well nationwide and will enter the new Congress with a majority in both the House and Senate, as well as the White House. Cline said this is crucial to helping President-elect Donald Trump "restore American superiority in manufacturing, agriculture and energy." Cline said that Trump's .