Ben Cline warns that redistricting in Virginia could change the balance of power
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Less than a week before Virginians head to the polls to decide the fate of the state’s federal map, a representative from the district at the center of the dispute is stepping down.
In an interview with the Ruthless Podcast released Thursday morning, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., has dismissed efforts by Virginia Democrats to change the makeup of congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“Their goal is the long game,” Cline said of the Democrat-backed recapture effort. “It’s a short game of the next election, but it’s also a long game of trying to change rural Virginia to be politically neutral or transformative. Either you’re the same or you’re destroyed.”
Under the proposed map, Cline’s district in the western part of the state would be split into five new seats. Josh Holmes, a podcast producer, explained that this would reduce the influence of rural voters.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Democrat. (Steve Helber/AP Photo; Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“They’re trying to split into five different districts to limit the rural vote they can win with the Northern Virginia defense NGO contractor,” Holmes said during the interview.
Virginia Democrats are following the national trend. Cline noted how this redistricting playbook has been used by Democrats across the country.
“They definitely want to turn us into New England,” said the congressman who was elected for the first time in 2018. “Massachusetts used to have Republican members of Congress, a very balanced caucus. Now it’s 9-0. But Republicans vote, what, 40 percent of the people there. They did it in Illinois. Most of the states where they’re in control, they’re trying to pull Republicans completely.”
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger presents the Democratic Alliance’s response to US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on February 24, 2026 in Williamsburg, Virginia. (Mike Kropf/Getty Images)
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Cline’s comments come as voting for the referendum intensifies. A recent poll from the Washington Post showed support for redrawing state maps, with a lead of only 5 points. The numbers show a closer race than last year’s gubernatorial election, when Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Sears by more than 15 points.
Voters will have a chance to weigh in on the redistricting battle on Tuesday. Virginians will decide whether to approve a constitutional amendment that allows the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional map.
Democrats say creating new maps will restore fairness to apportionment. Republicans argue that this is an uphill battle by changing delegates from a 6-5 Democrat-majority to a 10-one Democrat-majority in a state where Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump by just six points.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Davis Spanberger laughs loudly during the ceremony at the Virginia courthouse in Richmond. (Mike Kropf-Pool/Getty Images)
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Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., who currently represents the southwestern part of the state, may be the only Republican left in the Virginia delegation.
Cline appeared on Ruthless as part of the Ruthless Midterm Interview Series, an ongoing initiative to interview key GOP figures. Democrats have already canvassed for candidates in 12 states, with many scheduled as statewide primaries ahead of the November midterms.
After Tuesday’s election on the map, Virginians will return to the polls on August 4 in the congressional and Democratic congressional primaries. The general election will be held on November 3.
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