Ben Cline warns Virginia redistricting could shift power balance

Less than a week before Virginians head to the polls to decide the fate of the state’s congressional map, a representative from a district at the center of the debate has backed down.

In an interview on the Ruthless Podcast airing Thursday morning, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., rejected efforts by Virginia Democrats to change the order of congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“Their goal is the long game,” Cline said of the Democratic-backed redistricting initiative. “It’s the short game of the next election, but it’s also the long game of trying to turn rural Virginia into a place of no influence on politics or converts. You either assimilate or you get destroyed.”

Under the proposed map, the Cline district in the western part of the state would be divided into five new seats. Podcast co-host Josh Holmes explained that this would reduce the influence of rural voters.

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“They’re trying to break up into five different districts to minimize the rural vote that they can overwhelm with NGO defense contractors in the northern Virginia suburbs,” Holmes said during the interview.

Virginia Democrats are following a national trend. Cline noted how this redistricting playbook is being used by Democrats across the country.

“They definitely want to turn us into New England,” said the congressman, who was first elected in 2018. “Massachusetts had Republican members of Congress, a much more balanced delegation. Now it’s 9-0. But Republicans vote 40 percent of the population there. They’re doing that in Illinois. They’re trying to drive Republicans out completely in most of the states they control.”

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger provides the Democrats’ 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 on the referendum tightens. A recent Washington Post poll showed support for redrawing state maps; 5 points. Predictions show a closer race than last year’s gubernatorial election, when Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Sears by more than 3 points. 15 points.

Voters will get the chance to weigh in on the redistricting fight on Tuesday. Virginians will decide whether to approve a deal constitutional amendment It allows the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional map.

Democrats claim that creating new maps will restore distributive equity. Republicans argue it’s a gerrymander, turning the delegation from a six-to-five Democratic majority to a 10-to-one Democratic majority in a state where Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump by just six points.

Virginia Governor Abigail Davis Spanberger laughs loudly during a 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, will likely be the only Republican left in the Virginia delegation.

Cline appeared as part of Ruthless. Brutal Midterm Interview Seriesan ongoing effort to interview leading GOP candidates. The host agency has already interviewed candidates in 12 states, and primaries are planned to be held across the country ahead of the November midterm elections.

Following Tuesday’s elections on the map, Virginians will return to the polls on August 4 for the Republican and Democratic congressional primaries. General elections will be held on November 3.

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