News: Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) is running to be the next chair of the Republican Study Committee and is already touting that he’s locked up the race.
In an interview, Cline — the current RSC vice chair — told us he’s secured endorsements from a majority of voting members of the conservative group.
“I’ve been honored to receive support from across the conference and a majority of members of the Republican Study Committee who would be coming back and voting,” Cline said.
Goals. A self-described “policy wonk at heart,” Cline said he’s focused on rolling back Biden-era regulations and advancing a second GOP reconciliation package.
Cline said he wants to build on Rep. August Pfluger’s (R-Texas) leadership of the RSC as a “crucible for policy discussions to try and bring together conservatives within the conference.” Pfluger is among the members endorsing Cline’s bid.
While Cline acknowledged that Reconciliation 2.0 doesn’t have “universal support” among House Republicans, he said it was the RSC’s job to rally support for the package.
The RSC’s influence has changed in recent years. The conservative caucus has grown extremely large, so it’s a bit difficult to corral the entire membership around a single policy view.
The RSC had much more power when the House Republican Conference had a larger contingent of moderate members, making the RSC the conservative core of the party.
Redistricting. Cline represents a western Virginia district that may be at risk given state Democrats’ plan to draw new lines ahead of 2026. But Cline was optimistic that he’ll be in the House next term.
“I plan on running in the Sixth District as currently drawn,” Cline said. “The appetite, in my view, is not there to undo the work of the nonpartisan commission and the will of the voters.”
Virginia is barreling toward a redrawn map this year, but there’s a raging debate among Democratic leaders about how far to go.
