Ben Cline, not good at math, said Saturday, at an astroturf “rally” at Lord Botetourt High School on Saturday that appeared to draw about 30 people away from watching “Fox & Friends Weekend,” that Botetourt County is where the April 21 congressional redistricting referendum “is gonna either pass or fail.”
“Rural Virginia needs to be motivated and educated about this important issue and turn out to vote either before or on April 21st against this referendum to preserve not only our vote and our voice here in Virginia, but our way of life,” Cline said, according to reporting from Roanoke TV station WSLS.
If Cline is expecting Botetourt County – population: 34,129; 2024 voter turnout: 21,978; 2025 voter turnout: 16,870 – to turn the tide of a statewide election, man.
Fairfax County already has 11,632 early votes cast on its own, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project, and we’re still a month and a week out from April 21.
The math isn’t mathing here for Cline, who, adorably, is trying to frame his “fight” as being one for “our voice” and “our way of life,” but in reality, what he’s doing with his “Stop the Gerrymander” 501(c)(4) is trying to save his $174,000 salary and Cadillac healthcare plan.
ICYMI
The new district lines for the Sixth District would gerrymander Cline from a +20 Republican district to a +3 Democratic district, and that’s based on the 2024 presidential vote, which was +5.8 Democrat statewide.
I haven’t seen an analysis of the Sixth based on the 2025 statewide vote that was +15.5 Democrat, but we can imagine it’s more than +3 Democrat.
He’s going to need more than a couple dozen people in Botetourt County to stem the tide, is what I’m getting at.
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Chris Graham
