Two congressmen representing the western third of the state of Virginia attended a Roanoke County GOP Election Night party at the Tanglewood Holiday Inn on Tuesday. A cautiously optimistic crowd had gathered. Early numbers nationwide looked good for President Trump and other Republicans, but since Virginia is on the East Coast and polls in many states were still open, a bigger picture was still unclear.
In attendance were friends, family, and supporters of the congressmen, as well as some local elected officials. They included State Senators Chris Head, David Suetterlein, Del. Joe McNamara, and Roanoke County Supervisor Tammy Shepherd, who won re-election that day unopposed. The evening was emceed by Roanoke County GOP Chairman Chris Newton.
However, by 9:00 p.m. the efficient Virginia election officials had already released numbers showing both Reps. Morgan Griffith (VA-9) and Ben Cline (VA-6) had won lopsided victories.
Griffith won a remarkable 284,149 votes, or 72.82%. His Democrat opponent Karen Baker earned only 105,412, or 27.01%. That means Griffith won by about 2.7 to 1. The sprawling 9th District goes from the Tennessee/Kentucky lines up to Bedford County and the SML region.
The 6th District runs from the Roanoke Valley up the Shenandoah Valley to Winchester. Rep. Cline won by nearly a 2 to 1 margin, with 249,686 votes (63.48%) compared to his Democrat challenger Ken Mitchell, who won only 135,669 (34.49%). (source)
In emailed statement on Nov. 6, Rep. Cline offered this reaction to the November 5, 2024 Sixth District election results.
“I am deeply grateful to the voters of the Sixth District for placing their trust in me to continue serving as their congressman. Thank you for entrusting me with the responsibility to seek real, commonsense solutions to our challenges as a Commonwealth and as a nation.
“Addressing inflation, securing our border, restoring American energy independence, passing a Farm Bill and widening I-81 remain at the top of mind for my constituents, and I am eager to continue advocating for their interests in the 119th Congress in cooperation with a Republican Senate and Republican administration in the White House.”
Both men addressed the Nov. 5 victory party with raucous speeches.
Griffith referenced a regrettable previous trend, that Southwest Virginia had in the past some of the lowest voter rates in the Commonwealth, but on Nov. 5 that got better. He said the 9th District “set an all-time participation record” and “that is a mandate to continue to be the conservative voice that I have been in Washington DC and with my good friend Ben Cline we will continue to represent the western part of Virginia, […] Southside and Central Virginia as well, in Washington, making sure that they hear our voice and the voice of the people from the mountains of Virginia. God bless you.”
Cline then spoke, thanking all the people who contributed to his victory, starting with his wife Elizabeth, daughters, and other family members. “Everybody combined made this one of the biggest victories the 6th District has ever seen. Combine the 6th and 9th and the 5th, and joined together make sure that rural Virginia is going to be heard in Washington DC. Thank you all. […] We have record numbers coming out of rural Virginia and rural America is standing up for those values that have made America great: faith, family, community. And we are going to continue to fight for those issues and make sure that they are represented in Washington, so, thanks to you, Virginia’s voice is going to be heard loud and clear in Washington.”
“I’d like to thank my colleagues at state and local levels,” Cline added. “And I look forward to going back to Washington with my good friend Morgan Griffith and hopefully a bigger Republican majority in the House of Representatives to make sure that your voice is heard.”
–Scott Dreyer