Ben Cline Bio
Benjamin Lee Cline is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the U.S. representative for Virginia’s 6th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he represents a district that stretches across 19 cities and counties in western Virginia, including the Shenandoah Valley and parts of the Roanoke region. Before winning his seat in Congress, Cline spent 16 years in the Virginia House of Delegates, where he built a reputation as a fiscal conservative and a strong defender of gun rights and anti-abortion legislation.
Cline’s political career began on Capitol Hill, where he worked for his predecessor, U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte, eventually rising to chief of staff. After earning his law degree, he balanced private legal practice, prosecutorial work, and small-business leadership before returning full-time to public service in Washington. He lives in Botetourt County, Virginia, with his wife, Elizabeth, and their twin daughters.
Early Life and Background
Benjamin Lee Cline was born on February 29, 1972, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and grew up in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He is the son of Philip L. Cline and Julie Cline. The family settled in the historic Lexington area of the Shenandoah Valley, where Cline spent his childhood and adolescent years.
He graduated from Lexington High School in 1990 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bates College in 1994. After his undergraduate studies, Cline moved to Washington, D.C., to begin his career in public service, eventually returning to Virginia years later to pursue a Juris Doctor at the University of Richmond School of Law, which he completed in 2007.
Path to US Politics
Cline’s path into US politics began in 1994, when he joined the staff of U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte on Capitol Hill. Over an eight-year tenure that lasted until 2002, he advanced from legislative correspondent to chief of staff, gaining firsthand experience in federal lawmaking, constituent services, and district operations. His work in Goodlatte’s office gave him a working knowledge of the 6th congressional district long before he ever represented it.
In 2002, a vacancy in the Virginia House of Delegates gave Cline his first opportunity to run for office. He won a special election for the 24th district, replacing Vance Wilkins, and held the seat for the next 16 years. While serving in the General Assembly, he earned his law degree and balanced his legislative duties with private legal practice, including work as an assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Rockingham County and the city of Harrisonburg.
Ben Cline Career
Early Career (2002-2010)
Cline launched his elected career in 2002 by winning a special election for Virginia’s 24th House of Delegates district with 57 percent of the vote against former Lexington mayor Mimi Elrod. He quickly established a conservative record on taxes, gun rights, and public safety, and went on to win reelection in 2003 with 69 percent, in 2005 with 62 percent, and ran unopposed in 2007. By the end of the decade, he had earned a reputation as one of the more active members of the chamber.
During these years, Cline also chaired the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee and served on the Courts of Justice, Finance, and Commerce and Labor committees. He co-chaired the Virginia Joint Legislative Conservative Caucus and pursued legislative efforts that ranged from juvenile justice reform to administrative restructuring of state agencies. He was also named Legislator of the Year by the Virginia Court Clerks’ Association in 2011 and by the Virginia Sheriff’s Association in 2012, recognition that reflected his deep ties to Virginia’s law enforcement community.
Breakthrough (2011-2018)
Cline continued to dominate his House of Delegates district through the early 2010s, running unopposed in 2011 and 2013 before winning 71 percent of the vote in 2015 and 72 percent in 2017. His long track record of conservative policymaking and his years of service as Bob Goodlatte’s chief of staff made him a natural successor when Goodlatte announced his retirement from Congress in 2017.
In November 2017, Cline declared his candidacy for Virginia’s 6th congressional district. He entered a crowded Republican field of eight candidates, with RNC Committeewoman Cynthia Dunbar as his main rival. At the district convention on May 19, 2018, Cline secured the Republican nomination on the first ballot with 52.62 percent of the vote, avoiding the need for a primary. He went on to win the general election on November 6, 2018, with 59.8 percent of the vote against Democrat Jennifer Lewis, and resigned from the Virginia House of Delegates on December 18, 2018.
Republican Era (2019-Present)
Since joining Congress in January 2019, Cline has been a reliable conservative vote, aligning himself with the priorities of the Republican conference. He has served on the House Judiciary Committee, which carries responsibilities related to federal oversight and election-related litigation. He is also a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, though independent analyses have noted that his voting record often aligns with the more conservative wing of the House.
Cline was reelected in 2020 with 64.7 percent of the vote against Democrat Nicholas Betts, and again in 2022 with 64.4 percent of the vote against Democrat Jennifer Lewis in a newly redrawn 6th district. He voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results on January 6, 2021, and signed onto a December 2020 amicus brief supporting the Texas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit that sought to challenge those results. Cline has also voted to provide Israel with support following the October 7 attacks, reflecting his consistent focus on national security policy.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Cline’s most notable moments in Congress was his first-ballot victory at the 2018 Republican district convention, where he fended off a serious challenge from a well-funded rival to claim the nomination for a seat that had been held by his longtime mentor. His subsequent string of comfortable general-election victories, including 64.7 percent in 2020 and 64.4 percent in 2022, has made the 6th district one of the more reliably Republican seats in Virginia.
Ben Cline Career Wins
Over more than two decades in elected office, Benjamin Lee Cline has built a record of consistent electoral success at the state and federal levels, winning multiple elections by wide margins across Virginia’s 24th House of Delegates district and 6th congressional district.
Congressional Election Highlights
Cline first won Virginia’s 6th congressional district in 2018 with 59.8 percent of the vote. He followed that victory with 64.7 percent in 2020 and 64.4 percent in 2022, defeating Democrats Nicholas Betts and Jennifer Lewis, respectively. His 2022 win came in a newly redrawn district following reapportionment and confirmed his continued strength in the region.
State Legislative Election Highlights
In the Virginia House of Delegates, Cline won his first race in 2002 with 57 percent of the vote and went on to win every subsequent reelection. His strongest showings included 71 percent in 2009, 71 percent in 2015, and 72 percent in 2017. He also ran unopposed in 2007, 2011, and 2013, reflecting his deep roots in Rockbridge County and the surrounding communities.
Other Wins & Achievements
Beyond electoral victories, Cline was named Legislator of the Year by the Virginia Court Clerks’ Association in 2011 and by the Virginia Sheriff’s Association in 2012. He also chaired the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee and co-chaired the Virginia Joint Legislative Conservative Caucus during his time in Richmond.
Ben Cline Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Benjamin Lee Cline is the son of Philip L. Cline and Julie Cline. He was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, but grew up in Rockbridge County, Virginia, in the Lexington area, where his family had settled during his childhood. He graduated from Lexington High School in 1990 before heading north to Bates College.
Personal Life
Cline married Elizabeth Rocovich Cline in 2007, and the couple has twin daughters. Following his election to Congress, the family relocated from their longtime home in Rockbridge County, near Lexington, to Botetourt County. Cline is Catholic and attends St. Patrick’s Church in Lexington, reflecting his long-standing ties to the community that launched his political career.