Virginia's Sixth District Republican Committee
6th Congressional District (U.S. House, Virginia)
Overview: Clarke County lies in Virginia’s 6th Congressional District, a large region covering much of the west-central Shenandoah Valley including cities like Roanoke, Harrisonburg, and Winchester. The district is predominantly rural (about 36% rural vs 64% urban) with a population of roughly 794,500 residents as of 2023. It is a historically Republican stronghold – the Cook Partisan Voting Index is R+12, indicating a solid GOP lean. In fact, the 6th District was one of the first areas of Virginia to shift from the old Democratic “Byrd machine” to the Republican Party. Some counties in the district haven’t voted for a Democrat for president since the 1930s, and the district as a whole has not supported a Democrat for U.S. President since 1964 (when Lyndon B. Johnson won in a landslide).
Representation: The 6th District is currently represented by Congressman Ben L. Cline (R), who has served since 2019. Cline succeeded longtime GOP incumbent Bob Goodlatte upon the latter’s retirement. Congressman Cline’s district office is in Fincastle, and he sits on the House Judiciary Committee. Clarke County residents now look to Rep. Cline as their voice in Congress.
Voting Patterns: Politically, the district is reliably Republican. In recent congressional races, GOP candidates have won by comfortable margins. For example, Ben Cline won 64% of the vote in 2022 against a Democrat’s ~35%, and in 2024 Cline was re-elected with about 63.1% (versus 34.8% for his Democratic challenger). The 6th District’s GOP tilt is also evident in statewide elections – many localities here gave Republican candidates overwhelming support. (Notably, Clarke County itself gave 55.6% of its vote to Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, versus 42.0% for Joe Biden.) Overall, the 6th District’s long history and voting trends mark it as a conservative, Republican-leaning area of Virginia. It was among the first regions in Virginia where Republicans broke the Democratic dominance at local and state levels mid-20th century. Even as Virginia as a whole has trended blue in recent years, the 6th remains firmly red – a Republican presidential candidate hasn’t lost the district in nearly six decades.
Unique Facts: The 6th District is steeped in history and geography. It encompasses most of the Shenandoah Valley, including sites like the Blue Ridge Mountains and portions of the Appalachian Trail along Clarke’s eastern border. Historically, Lord Fairfax’s estate (Greenway Court) was located in Clarke County (near today’s White Post), and young George Washington surveyed this area in the 1750s. Many communities here date back to Colonial times. The Shenandoah Valley’s early shift to the GOP is partly attributed to its heritage of independent-minded farmers and the influence of the Byrd Organization’s eventual decline. Today the district retains a strong rural character, and agriculture and small towns define much of its landscape despite encompassing larger cities like Roanoke and Lynchburg outside Clarke. The mix of mountain terrain and fertile valley land gives the 6th District a distinct Shenandoah identity.
Overview: Clarke County lies in Virginia’s 6th Congressional District, a large region covering much of the west-central Shenandoah Valley including cities like Roanoke, Harrisonburg, and Winchester. The district is predominantly rural (about 36% rural vs 64% urban) with a population of roughly 794,500 residents as of 2023. It is a historically Republican stronghold – the Cook Partisan Voting Index is R+12, indicating a solid GOP lean. In fact, the 6th District was one of the first areas of Virginia to shift from the old Democratic “Byrd machine” to the Republican Party. Some counties in the district haven’t voted for a Democrat for president since the 1930s, and the district as a whole has not supported a Democrat for U.S. President since 1964 (when Lyndon B. Johnson won in a landslide).
Representation: The 6th District is currently represented by Congressman Ben L. Cline (R), who has served since 2019. Cline succeeded longtime GOP incumbent Bob Goodlatte upon the latter’s retirement. Congressman Cline’s district office is in Fincastle, and he sits on the House Judiciary Committee. Clarke County residents now look to Rep. Cline as their voice in Congress.
Voting Patterns: Politically, the district is reliably Republican. In recent congressional races, GOP candidates have won by comfortable margins. For example, Ben Cline won 64% of the vote in 2022 against a Democrat’s ~35%, and in 2024 Cline was re-elected with about 63.1% (versus 34.8% for his Democratic challenger). The 6th District’s GOP tilt is also evident in statewide elections – many localities here gave Republican candidates overwhelming support. (Notably, Clarke County itself gave 55.6% of its vote to Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, versus 42.0% for Joe Biden.) Overall, the 6th District’s long history and voting trends mark it as a conservative, Republican-leaning area of Virginia. It was among the first regions in Virginia where Republicans broke the Democratic dominance at local and state levels mid-20th century. Even as Virginia as a whole has trended blue in recent years, the 6th remains firmly red – a Republican presidential candidate hasn’t lost the district in nearly six decades.
Unique Facts: The 6th District is steeped in history and geography. It encompasses most of the Shenandoah Valley, including sites like the Blue Ridge Mountains and portions of the Appalachian Trail along Clarke’s eastern border. Historically, Lord Fairfax’s estate (Greenway Court) was located in Clarke County (near today’s White Post), and young George Washington surveyed this area in the 1750s. Many communities here date back to Colonial times. The Shenandoah Valley’s early shift to the GOP is partly attributed to its heritage of independent-minded farmers and the influence of the Byrd Organization’s eventual decline. Today the district retains a strong rural character, and agriculture and small towns define much of its landscape despite encompassing larger cities like Roanoke and Lynchburg outside Clarke. The mix of mountain terrain and fertile valley land gives the 6th District a distinct Shenandoah identity.
Clarke County is in the 6th Congressional district.
The 6th's own, Congressman Ben Cline
S. John Massoud
Chairman of the 6th Congressional District Republican Party of Virginia.
Chairman of the 6th Congressional District Republican Party of Virginia.