The 6th Congressional District could see two Democrats vie for the opportunity to challenge Republican Rep. Ben Cline, of Botetourt County, for his seat in the 2026 midterm elections.
Pete Barlow announced his campaign to challenge Cline to represent Virginia’s 6th Congressional District next November.
Ken Mitchell, who was Cline’s Democratic challenger in 2024, is expected to run again as well. If Mitchell formally announces his intention to run, a Democratic primary will be likely in a solidly Republican district that Cline won with 63% of the vote in 2024. Mitchell’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
“The worst disasters facing folks here aren’t natural. They’ve been caused by Congress — and Ben Cline helped them do it,” Barlow said in his campaign announcement on Wednesday.
He called out the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which Congress passed on July 3 and President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4.
“It cut rural health care, hurt farmers and small businesses, raised prices, and gave tax breaks to billionaires,” Barlow said. “That’s not what folks voted for in 2024 — and they’re right to be angry. Ben Cline and Donald Trump betrayed them.”
Barlow had left his role at the Federal Emergency Management Agency in July, where he had worked as an emergency manager since 2020. While at FEMA, he worked on projects connected to oil spills in U.S. waters, California wildfires, Puerto Rico’s hurricane recovery and humanitarian crises in Haiti, according to his website. Before FEMA, he worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Barlow’s campaign said they do not currently have a campaign platform — instead, Barlow plans to go on a five-month-long listening tour to allow constituents to meet and share their perspectives with the candidate.
“The Valley’s custom is to bring people together to deal with the things that matter. For too long, political leaders have driven us apart. So I’m going to visit with people throughout this district and listen to the folks Ben Cline refuses to hear,” Barlow said during a campaign kick-off event in Weyers Cave on Wednesday.
To see who’s on this year’s ballot and where they stand, see our Voter Guide.
