March 20, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette: Of all the phony arguments against the Virginia redistricting amendment, the most ridiculous is that it will force rural Virginians into congressional districts represented by out-of-touch urban Democrats who will ignore their needs and interests.
Let’s take the example of our own congressman, Republican Ben Cline.
Recently in Congress, Cline has misrepresented his rural constituents by:
• Voting to double or triple the cost of health insurance for 33,000 of his constituents-- including small business owners and farmers-- under the Affordable Care Act.
• Voting to slash Medicaid and food assistance for tens of thousands of his constituents while cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy under the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill. One immediate result was the closure last year of three primary care facilities in Cline’s Sixth District.
• Supporting a raise in the age of eligibility for Social Security-- a special hardship for rural constituents working physically demanding jobs.
• Opposing a law to protect pregnant workers. (How is this “pro-life”?)
• Backing Donald Trump’s tariffs and misbegotten war in Iran, which have driven up costs for all of us.
For other examples, see Cline-Watch.com.
Let’s ditch the phony narrative that corporate-backed Republicans like Cline care more about rural Americans than anyone else does. Their voting records tell a different story. GENE ZITVER Lexington
