Cline claims 6th District Republican nomination to succeed Goodlatte

Cline is a 15-year veteran of House District 24, which includes a portion of Augusta County.

He said he planned to go out in the coming months and talk to 6th District voters about issues that matter to them, including agriculture, Interstate 81, and public safety.

“I look forward to talking about my record,” Cline said after his victory was secured. Sixth District Democrats will choose their nominee in a June primary. Cline and the Democratic nominee will face off in November for the right to take over for Goodlatte, a 13-term incumbent.

Though the Republican-controlled Congress recently passed President Trump’s budget — one that adds $300 billion in federal spending and increases the national debt — Cline nonetheless promised to support Trump’s agenda, and “fight against more taxes and more government.”

Cline, generally considered a mainstream conservative, received a boost during Saturday’s convention at James Madison University when fellow candidate Chaz Haywood withdrew from the race and threw his support to Cline. Haywood had been considered a dark horse candidate and the favorite among those who did not support the two front-runners.

If elected in November, Cline said, he would fight to de-fund sanctuary cities and “yes, build that wall,” referring to the U.S. border wall President Trump has vowed to build. He also said he would support veterans.

“I will always place the interests of our men and women in uniform first,” Cline said.

Cline took the nomination despite a formidable challenge from Virginia Republican National Committeewoman Dunbar, a former Liberty University law professor.

Dunbar’s nomination speech was greeted by thunderous applause and the waving of signs by her supporters.

Dunbar told the convention crowd that America “must stop electing career politicians.” Dunbar said she was motivated to run by her love of “the Constitution and our republic.”

“We have a real enemy,” Dunbar said. “We have to fight to reclaim our constitutional republic and restore our nation to greatness.”

When the first ballot convention results were announced, Dunbar went to the podium in a spirit of unity and said it was important to support Cline, whom she described as the new 6th District congressman.

The combative nomination process for the GOP had escalated in recent months, with the two frontrunners trading personal attacks and accusations that the other was courting delegates in “threatening” and “aggressive” ways.

Dunbar was targeted for what many said were extremist views that ignored the separation of church and state. In her book, “One Nation Under God: How the Left is Trying to Erase What Made Us Great,” she wrote that the Constitution is based on the Bible, and should be interpreted through “the litmus test of Holy Scripture.” She also questioned the right to privacy, said the government should not be involved in educating children or providing assistance to the poor, and insisted that it’s impossible to be both a Christian and a Democrat.

Cline was portrayed as a lightweight establishment lackey who would become yet another career politician in Congress doing the bidding of special interest and powerful lobbyists. The Dunbar campaign said Cline would join the ranks of a “do-nothing Congress” and be more concerned about cashing in favors and getting re-elected than serving his constituents.

Virginia GOP Chairman John Whitbeck said the Virginia GOP had an active role in Saturday’s convention and helped oversee the delegate count.

“We had to make sure the process was run fairly,” Whitbeck said. The Virginia chairman said the access of the state party assured that “there was no doubt a fair outcome.”

Also Saturday, the 6th District elected a new Republican chair. Harrisonburg attorney Jennifer Brown captured 58.09 percent of the votes, beating incumbent Chairman Scott Sayre, who garnered 41.91 percent.

Sayre has served as 6th District chairman for the past two years.

Headline: Cline claims 6th District Republican nomination to succeed Goodlatte
By BOB STUART
bstuart@newsvirginian.com | (540) 932-3562
HARRISONBURG – Virginia House of Delegates member Ben Cline of Rockbridge County was nominated Saturday as the 6th Congressional District Republican nominee to succeed retiring Rep. Bob Goodlatte. He will take on the eventual Democratic nominee in the fall mid-terms.
Sixth District delegates at Saturday's convention in Harrisonburg gave Cline a comfortable margin of 52.6 percent over his primary rival, Cynthia Dunbar, who tallied 39.1 percent of the vote. The remaining votes were split between the five remaining candidates, though none got more than single-digit support.
Cline is a 15-year veteran of House District 24, which includes a portion of Augusta County.
He said he planned to go out in the coming months and talk to 6th District voters about issues that matter to them, including agriculture, Interstate 81, and public safety. 
“I look forward to talking about my record,” Cline said after his victory was secured. Sixth District Democrats will choose their nominee in a June primary. Cline and the Democratic nominee will face off in November for the right to take over for Goodlatte, a 13-term incumbent.
Though the Republican-controlled Congress recently passed President Trump's budget — one that adds $300 billion in federal spending and increases the national debt — Cline nonetheless promised to support Trump’s agenda, and "fight against more taxes and more government." 
Cline, generally considered a mainstream conservative, received a boost during Saturday’s convention at James Madison University when fellow candidate Chaz Haywood withdrew from the race and threw his support to Cline. Haywood had been considered a dark horse candidate and the favorite among those who did not support the two front-runners.
If elected in November, Cline said, he would fight to de-fund sanctuary cities and “yes, build that wall,” referring to the U.S. border wall President Trump has vowed to build. He also said he would support veterans.
“I will always place the interests of our men and women in uniform first,” Cline said.  
Cline took the nomination despite a formidable challenge from Virginia Republican National Committeewoman Dunbar, a former Liberty University law professor.
Dunbar’s nomination speech was greeted by thunderous applause and the waving of signs by her supporters.
Dunbar told the convention crowd that America “must stop electing career politicians.” Dunbar said she was motivated to run by her love of “the Constitution and our republic.”
“We have a real enemy,” Dunbar said. “We have to fight to reclaim our constitutional republic and restore our nation to greatness.”
When the first ballot convention results were announced, Dunbar went to the podium in a spirit of unity and said it was important to support Cline, whom she described as the new 6th District congressman.
The combative nomination process for the GOP had escalated in recent months, with the two frontrunners trading personal attacks and accusations that the other was courting delegates in "threatening" and "aggressive" ways.
Dunbar was targeted for what many said were extremist views that ignored the separation of church and state. In her book, "One Nation Under God: How the Left is Trying to Erase What Made Us Great," she wrote that the Constitution is based on the Bible, and should be interpreted through "the litmus test of Holy Scripture." She also questioned the right to privacy, said the government should not be involved in educating children or providing assistance to the poor, and insisted that it's impossible to be both a Christian and a Democrat.  
Cline was portrayed as a lightweight establishment lackey who would become yet another career politician in Congress doing the bidding of special interest and powerful lobbyists. The Dunbar campaign said Cline would join the ranks of a "do-nothing Congress" and be more concerned about cashing in favors and getting re-elected than serving his constituents. 
Virginia GOP Chairman John Whitbeck said the Virginia GOP had an active role in Saturday’s convention and helped oversee the delegate count.
“We had to make sure the process was run fairly,” Whitbeck said. The Virginia chairman said the access of the state party assured that “there was no doubt a fair outcome.”
Also Saturday, the 6th District elected a new Republican chair. Harrisonburg attorney Jennifer Brown captured 58.09 percent of the votes, beating incumbent Chairman Scott Sayre, who garnered 41.91 percent.
Sayre has served as 6th District chairman for the past two years.