Ben Cline

Benjamin Lee Cline (born February 29, 1972) is an American politician that has served 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 for 16 sessions, from 2002 to 2018.[1]

For the American cinematographer, see Benjamin H. Kline.
Ben Cline
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 6th district
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
Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth Rocovich
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2
EducationBates College (BA)
University of Richmond (JD)
WebsiteHouse website

Early life and education

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

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

Career outside of politics

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.

After graduating from law school, he served as an assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for Rockingham County and the city of Harrisonburg, Virginia until 2013.[4]

Prior to his election to Congress, Cline maintained a private law practice in Lexington, Harrisonburg, and Amherst, Virginia.[5]

Political career
Cline with Bob Goodlatte in October 2005

Cline served as Chief of Staff for United States Representative Robert "Bob" Goodlatte before running for office.

Cline started his political career in 2002 in an election to the Virginia House of Delegates in a special election, replacing incumbent Delegate Vance Wilkins who resigned the seat due to sexual harassment allegations.[6] Cline won in 2002 with 57% of the vote despite Democratic opposition from former Lexington Mayor Mimi Elrod. With the election victory, 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.

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. In 2005, he won with 62% of the vote against Democrat David Cox. Cline ran unopposed in 2007. In 2009, Cline ran against Amherst native and Democrat Jeff Price and won with 71% of the vote, taking the Lexington City precinct (for the first time since Price's election in 2002) and every precinct in the 24th House of Delegates district. Cline ran unopposed in both 2011 and 2013. In 2015, Cline won 71% of the vote against Democrat Ellen Arthur. In 2017, he won re-election with 72% of the vote against independent candidate John Winfrey.[7]

In November 2017, Cline announced he would run for Congress in Virginia's 6th congressional district in 2018 for the seat being vacated by the retiring incumbent Bob Goodlatte.[8] On May 19, 2018, Cline won the Republican Party nomination for that election on the first ballot at the district convention.

Cline won the election on November 6, 2018, winning 15 Virginia localities with more than 60% of the vote, to the four localities won by his opponent, Jennifer Lewis.[9][10] (Lewis won Harrisonburg, Lexington, Roanoke and Staunton, but lost all the rest, including a razor's edge loss in her hometown of Waynesboro.[9]) He resigned from the Virginia House of Delegates on December 18, 2018.[11]

State legislative career
Cline in the House Chamber next to former state Delegate Terrie Suit

Committee assignments

Formerly, 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.[12] Cline is also the Former House co-chair of the Virginia Joint Legislative Conservative Caucus, which is co-chaired in the Senate of Virginia by Mark Obenshain.[13]

Education

In 2006, Cline patroned HB1125, which created a school sales tax holiday in the Commonwealth, and HB1135, which allowed for members of the military stationed in the Commonwealth to receive in-state tuition in Virginia.[14][15] In 2007, he patroned HB2168, which created the Community College Transfer Grant Program.[16] In 2008, Cline supported the opening of an Amherst branch of Central Virginia Community College and new facilities for the Rockbridge branch of Dabney S. Lancaster Community College. In 2009, Cline patroned, but did not have included in the final state budget, amendments that looked to cut the budget of the Virginia Lottery in half, which would in turn put those fund into the Literary Fund used to fund public schools in Virginia.[17]

Government regulation

In 2006, Cline passed two bills, HB1130 and HB1131, which changed the administrative setup of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.[18][19] In 2009, he passed HB2285, which created a searchable database of Virginia's agency expenditures.[20] 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.[21]

Criminal prosecution

In 2003, Cline introduced HB2229, which deals with probation for underage alcohol possession.[22] In 2004, he introduced HB1204, which increased penalties for people having multiple offenses pertaining to driving while intoxicated.[23] In 2007, he patroned HB2453, which enhanced penalties for repeated offenders of driving without a license, and HB2459, which increased the penalties for elder abuse.[24][25] In 2008, he passed HB1362, which established a penalty for the misuse of public assets, and HB1363, which increases penalties for trademark counterfeiting.[26][27] In 2009, he patroned HB2441, which requires Virginia Department of Corrections to notify prosecutors of gang affiliation of inmates charged with an offense committed while in prison, and HB2637, which requires fingerprinting of individuals arrested for the violation of a protective order.[28][29]

Public safety

In 2003, Cline introduced HB2227, which made it a felony to assault retired law enforcement officers, and HB865 in 2010, which imposed the same penalty regarding assault of campus police officers.[30][31] In 2003, he introduced HB2230 & HB 2232 to help local probation officers and pretrial services officers.[32][33] In 2005, he introduced HB1514, which allowed sheriffs' offices and volunteer rescue squads to get reimbursed for the costs of responding to DUI crashes.[34] Cline was named Legislator of the Year by the Virginia Court Clerks' Association in 2011 and by the Virginia Sheriff's Association in 2012.[35]

Cline has also introduced several bills regarding the rights of defendants and inmates. In 2003, he introduced HB2231, which gives greater access for probation officers to juvenile defendants' records so that risk assessments could be more easily prepared.[36] He opposed the closure of the Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center in 2009, which was the last remaining facility solely for nonviolent offenders in the Commonwealth of Virginia at the time of its closing.[37] and introduced HB873 in 2010 to require the Department of Juvenile Justice to keep at least one facility open for non-violent juvenile offenders.[38] 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 and won praise locally for his involvement on the issue.[39][40][41] In 2013, Cline helped craft and supported HB2103, which improves parole process for inmates still eligible for parole in Virginia.[42]

Abortion

Cline has been described by Carmen Forman of The Roanoke Times as being "staunchly anti-abortion."[43] In 2007 and subsequent years, Cline has introduced legislation which requires that information regarding the option of providing anesthesia to the baby be given to women seeking abortions after 20 weeks and required doctors to do so if requested by the mother.[44][45][46]

Civil Liberties

In the 2013 Session, Cline patroned HB2229[47] to address ongoing concerns over the Federal National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. The allegation was that the NDAA allowed the federal government to detain and seize American citizens within the United States and hold them without access to legal counsel or trial, in violation of the United States Constitution. HB2229 stated that if the federal government wished to detain an American citizen on those grounds, that they first needed to notify the chief law enforcement official in the individual's locality - or do so within 24 hours of the detention. The bill further stated that failure to comply with the law would lead to the Virginia General Assembly reviewing any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the government of the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia and that any further action on the MOU and any funding in pursuit of the MOU would be contingent on an affirmative vote of the General Assembly.


Cline introduced a similar bill in 2014 (HB1256)[48] and 2015 (HB2144).[49] 2013 was the furthest the bill made it through the legislative system. In 2013, the bill passed the House of Delegates with bipartisan support 83-14 and the Senate 31–9 with an amendment. The House rejected the Senate amendment and the bill died in a conference committee due to the Virginia State Police complaining that the United States Government was threatening to pull out of MOUs. The 2014 bill passed the House of Delegates unanimously, but died in the Senate without a hearing. The 2015 bill passed the House of Delegates 96–4, passed out of Senate committee 7–6, and was recommitted to the Committee at the direction of Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment, where it died without another vote.

Interstate 81

Interstate 81 is the main branch of the Interstate Highway System in the 24th district. In 2005, Cline patroned HB2554, a bill that created the I-81 Safety Task Force, and HJ709, a resolution that encouraged Congress to develop a multistate I-81 initiative.[50][51] In 2006, he patroned HB1581, which created the I-81 Intermodal Rail study.[52]

U.S. House of Representatives

2018 convention

Ben Cline announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives, in a bid to replace out-going Rep. Bob Goodlatte - whom Cline served as Chief of Staff. Cline entered a crowded field of 8 total candidates, his top contender being Cynthia Dunbar, the incumbent RNC Committeewoman from Virginia.

The convention process was immediately tainted by accusations of favoritism leveled at the District Committee leadership, arguing that they were attempting to slant the convention in favor of Dunbar. 6th District Chairman Scott Sayre was heard admonishing the other candidates that their primary goal needed to be to defeat Ben Cline. 6th District Vice-Chairman Matthew Tederick was a paid staffer for Cynthia 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 8 candidates, that number could have been significantly lower than 51% (arguably between 20 and 40%) which brought out accusations that the District Committee thought that Cynthia Dunbar couldn't face Ben Cline on her own merits. This rule was challenged to the State Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia and was 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 Ben Cline.[53] 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 Chaz Haywood - who appeared on the ballot due to a late withdrawal (0.06% - 1 vote). With Ben Cline winning majority vote on the first ballot, he secured the nomination and moved on to the general election.

2018 general election

As described by 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."[9] As described by the Staunton News Leader, a USA Today newspaper in Cline's district, candidate Cline's House campaign website detailed "his record of supporting conservative legislation in the [Virginia] 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".[54] At his election victory celebration, Representative-elect Cline stated to his assembled supporters that "Being part of the checks and balances that our Founding Fathers envisioned is a responsibility that I will guard seriously."[54] 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".[55]

Tenure

Cline's assignments in the House include serving on the Judiciary Committee, which includes some responsibilities regarding the Mueller Report.[56]

In December 2020, Cline was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed 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 prevailed[57] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[58][59][60]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Cline and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[61][62] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Cline and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[63] On January 6, 2021, Cline voted against the certification of some of the Electoral College votes for Joe Biden.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Electoral history
Virginia's 6th congressional district, 2018[64]
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

Personal life

Cline married Elizabeth Rocovich Cline in 2007 and they are raising their twin daughters in Botetourt County.[1][55][65] He resides in Botetourt County. His stated religion is Catholic, and he has a disclosed affiliation with St. Patrick's Church in Lexington, VA.[1]

References
  1. Virginia House of Delegates Staff (July 24, 2019). "Benjamin L. "Ben" Cline—Member From: November 26, 2002–December 18, 2018 including "Benjamin L. "Ben" Cline service by session"". State of Virginia. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  3. McConville, Emily (June 26, 2019). "Similar but different, Congressmen Ben Cline '94 and Jared Golden '11 return for Reunion". Lewiston, Maine: Bates College. Retrieved July 24, 2019. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Ben Cline for Delegate. "Delegate Ben Cline – Biography". Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  5. "About Ben". Ben Cline for Congress. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  6. Fiske, Warren & Nuckols, Christina (June 14, 2002). "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 April 23, 2008.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Virginia Department of Elections Staff (November 13, 2017). "2017 November General—Official Results". Results.Elections.Virginia.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  8. WHSV-TV3 Staff (November 9, 2017). "Delegate Ben Cline Announces Run for Goodlatte's Seat in Congress". WHSV.com. Harrisonburg, VA: WHSV-TV3. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  9. Friedenberger, Amy (November 6, 2018). "Republican Ben Cline Defeats Democrat Jennifer Lewis in 6th District Race". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, VA. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  10. CNN Staff (December 21, 2019). "Virginia house [election results, map]". CNN.com. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  11. Friedenberger, Amy (November 9, 2018). "After Del. Ben Cline's Congressional Win, Special Election to Fill Seat Set for Dec. 18". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, VA. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  12. Virginia House of Delegates. "Bio for Benjamin L. Cline". Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  13. "Virginia Conservative Caucus". Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  14. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1125 > 2006 Session".
  15. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1135 > 2006 Session".
  16. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2168 > 2007 Session".
  17. "2009 HB1600 480#1h Member Request amendment".
  18. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1130 > 2006 Session".
  19. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1131 > 2006 Session".
  20. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2285 > 2009 Session".
  21. Ben Cline. "DELEGATE CLINE ANNOUNCES THE PASSAGE OF BUDGET TRANSPARENCY BILL". Archived from the original on 2009-06-10. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  22. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2229 > 2003 Session".
  23. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1204 > 2004 Session".
  24. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2453 > 2007 Session".
  25. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2459 > 2007 Session".
  26. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1362 > 2008 Session".
  27. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1363 > 2008 Session".
  28. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2441 > 2009 Session".
  29. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2637 > 2009 Session".
  30. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2227 > 2003 Session".
  31. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB865 > 2010 Session".
  32. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2230 > 2003 Session".
  33. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2232 > 2003 Session".
  34. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1514 > 2005 Session".
  35. "Del. Ben Cline receives service award from Virginia Sheriffs' Association".
  36. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2231 > 2003 Session".
  37. "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.
  38. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB873 > 2010 Session".
  39. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB836 > 2012 Session".
  40. "Virginia prisons board tentatively OKs shackling rules". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  41. "Editorial: Unshackling pregnant inmates". Archived from the original on 2014-01-24. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  42. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2103 > 2103 Session".
  43. 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.
  44. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2456 > 2007 Session".
  45. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1556 > 2008 Session".
  46. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2634 > 2009 Session".
  47. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2229 > 2013 session". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  48. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2229 > 2013 session". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  49. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2229 > 2013 session". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  50. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2554 > 2005 Session".
  51. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HJ709 > 2005 Session".
  52. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1581 > 2006 Session".
  53. "Convention selects Ben Cline as nominee for open seat in Va". Associated Press. Harrisonburg. May 19, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  54. News Leader Staff (November 6, 2018). "Del. Ben Cline Wins 6th District U.S. House Race". Staunton News Leader. Staunton, VA. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  55. 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.
  56. Simon, Scott (March 23, 2019). "Rep. Ben Cline On The Mueller Report". Weekend Edition Saturday. NPR. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  57. 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.
  58. Liptak, Adam (2020-12-11). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  59. "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 2020-12-11. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  60. Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  61. Smith, David (2020-12-12). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  62. "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  63. Williams, Jordan (2020-12-11). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  64. "Official Results". 2018 November General. Virginia Department of Elections. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  65. "About Ben". Ben Cline for Congress. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
Virginia House of Delegates
Preceded by
Vance Wilkins		 Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 24th district
2002–2018		 Succeeded by
Ronnie Campbell
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Bob Goodlatte		 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
Sean Casten		 United States Representatives by seniority
307th		 Succeeded by
Angie Craig
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