We’ve sent questionnaires to all the candidates running across Southwest and Southside this fall and are posting their replies in our Voter Guide.Looking for common ground among the three candidates running for Congress in Virginia’s 6th Congressional District is not difficult, and they are not shy about sharing it:The federal government is in dysfunction, and something must change.How to fix it? That’s where the contrast begins.Representative Ben Cline, the Republican incumbent from Botetourt County, looks to retain his seat for a fourth term and has two opponents who are first-time congressional candidates: Democrat Ken Mitchell and independent Robby Wells. Cline’s time in Washington follows 16 years of service in the Virginia House of Delegates, where he represented the 24th District.He said he left that job with many examples of how bipartisan governing works.“For over a decade, we could get things done in Richmond when we put aside the partisan differences and focused on good policy,” Cline said. But he has never seen much of that effort at the federal level.“Washington is broken, and it’s sad to see a lack of bipartisanship along the lines that I saw working in Richmond,” he said. “In Washington, too many people want to abandon the policy debates just so they can get on TV and raise campaign money. I’m focused on advancing good policy and fiscal responsibility. That’s why I’m on the committees I’m on and hope we can move the ball forward in this next Congress.”About the 6th District raceBen ClineRepublican from Botetourt CountyElected in 2018Ken MitchellDemocrat from Rockingham CountyRobby WellsIndependent from Botetourt CountyCampaign fundraising:Cline: $464,314Mitchell: $48,929Wells: N/AThe last election:Cline won re-election with 64.4% of the vote, making the 6th the second-most Republican district in the state.His opponents agree that changes are needed in Washington. Only they believe a change in the district’s representation is needed to go in that direction.“I thought the waning months of the Trump administration — the handling of COVID, 1-6; the attempt to overthrow a free and fair election — those are two things that weighed on it,” said Mitchell, who lives in Rockingham County. “Equally weighing on that was how unproductive the 118th Congress was and how it had gone into being just an obstructionist Congress. … The people suffered because of that.”Independent candidate Robby Wells, who said he is running for the office because Congress needs radical changes, is even more aggressive about change. Term limits are among his list of issues, and says, if elected, he would serve no more than two terms.“I believe we can win on a grassroots effort,” Wells said. “As we’ve gone door to door just to get signatures to get qualified, we’ve met with thousands of people — Democrats, Republicans … mainly Republicans. And they’re all fed up. They all want a new direction, and we’re offering that.”This will be the second time Cline is running in the redrawn 6th District, which includes the northern end of Frederick and Clarke counties and the city of Winchester. It also encompasses the northern Shenandoah Valley then down the Interstate 81 corridor to Roanoke. He won the 2022 election with nearly 65% of the vote.The 6th congressional district. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court.Cline has a significant advantage when it comes to campaign finance. In the candidates’ July quarterly reports, Cline had nearly $500,000 cash on hand, compared to less than $15,000 for Mitchell. His spending advantage is also prohibitive ($464,314 to $48,929), according to figures compiled by The Hill. And while he admits he’s been frustrated with the Washington gridlock, Cline, who grew up in Rockbridge County, said he still has the desire to represent his neighbors.“I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley and have lived here most of my life,” he said. “The people I’m representing are my schoolmates, my teachers, my dentists, my doctors — the people I’ve known all my life. Taking their concerns and their values to Washington, a place that is so foreign and often seems to work against those values, I’m proud to do and will continue to do as long as I believe I can make a difference.”Cline has endorsed former President Donald Trump’s campaign to return to the White House and supports the Republican Party’s major platforms, which include support of tax cuts, the Second Amendment, a modernized and fully funded military, defending the rule of law, elections laws he believes will assure the integrity of the process, anti-abortion legislation and a public education system that empowers parents and reduces the influence of bureaucrats and teachers’ unions.“Folks are hurting right now,” Cline said. “Inflation has really eaten away the value of their paychecks. They’re paying $1,000 more a month on average for the same things they bought before [President Joe] Biden took office. Kamala Harris is promising more of the same, so we do need a change. Returning to the prosperity we had under Donald Trump is the way I hope voters will go in November.”Specifically for the 6th District, Cline said his focus is on lower taxes and fighting against what he considers to be wasteful spending by the federal government. He said he plans to continue fighting for lower health care costs, make more options available to consumers who take part in the Affordable Care Act insurance markets and promote his district as a leader in training medical professionals at all levels.“When it comes to health care, you need more competition and providers when it comes to providing that health care,” Cline said. “You need more transparency in billing, so when you pay for something, you can shop around.”Cline said he also plans to continue pressing toward a modernized Farm Bill, which he considers one of the most important pieces of legislation for the 6th District. The pillars are financial certainty to farmers, strengthening ag research and expanding rural broadband.“Republicans believe in the power of the individual to solve their concerns and concerns of their community,” he said. “If given the ability, folks in the 6th District can solve just about any problem. Democrats believe in the power of government to solve problems, and I believe government creates more problems than it solves.“Just look at what they’ve done with housing costs with the Green New Deal mandates, look at what they’ve done to the economy with spending and what it’s done in inflation. … I believe Republicans have the policy solutions that are going to allow us to move forward and renew the opportunity that we have in this great country.”Mitchell, a veteran who spent 24 years in the military — he enlisted in the Air Force but retired as an Army officer — is new to elections but not new to Washington. While in the Army, he spent six years serving in the White House as an apolitical military communications officer in both the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations.“I saw both a Democratic and Republican administration and saw what statesmanship was,” Mitchell said. “But when Newt Gingrich became speaker of the House, things began to change.”Following his retirement, Mitchell worked in the telecom industry and helped build broadband systems in urban areas, which he said made him realize how important it was that rural parts of Virginia had the same access as the big cities.“That’s one of the areas that I need to lean into heavily as I campaign,” he said. “It affects the quality of life so much for rural Virginians, whether it’s education for kids, or telemedicine options for the elderly, or business startups or accessing worldwide marketplaces. It has a huge impact on our quality of life.”He now lives on a small farm in Rockingham County, which he describes as the midway point of a truly diverse congressional district.“The difference between the northern region of this district and the southern region of this district — they are very different people with very different issues and a very different feel,” Mitchell said. “The challenge is meeting all of those demands that you hear.”Mitchell said living in the middle of the district is fitting because the Democrat considers himself a moderate who is willing to meet others halfway in order to make government work.“I’m running a campaign from the middle,” he said. “I’m not supporting the far right, I’m not supporting the far left, but in the middle. I think it’s in the middle where our common good exists.”Mitchell’s platform of issues supports many of the Democratic Party’s mainstream issues, including education spending that focuses on traditional public schools and better teacher pay, equity in all areas for women, including abortion and other reproductive health rights, and finally adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.Mitchell also supports the decision to approve Biden’s giant infrastructure bill because he felt it would be good for the economy and employment numbers. He also supports the current administration’s effort to guide the country toward more green energy and to increase transportation options, such as high-speed rail between major cities, all to slow down climate change.“It has become a controversial issue,” Mitchell said. “But the reality is [climate change] is an existential threat. When you look throughout the 6th District and you look at some of the impact of climate change — I’ve spoken with many small farmers, and they truly are the canaries in the coal mine. They see the impact daily.”Mitchell also includes working toward a solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and supports Israel’s right to defend itself following the Hamas-led attack into Israeli territory last October. However, the large number of Palestinian casualties since then in Gaza has led him to support a ceasefire and the negotiation of a two-state solution in the region.As for the message of his campaign, Mitchell said that the best way to represent the 6th District is to go to Washington as someone, specifically a Democrat, who is ready to listen to all ideas for every issue that comes up in Congress.“I think people are ready for a change and get rid of the divisiveness and are ready to get into supporting the common ground,” Mitchell said. “I think from there, that is where we can do the most good and bring economic benefit to the folks in the 6th District. We can bring social benefit to the people of the 6th District and bring environmental benefit.“So, I think all of those benefits thrive in the middle. What I learned in the military was to leave no one behind. What I want to do is make sure we leave no one behind in this district.”Wells also considers himself a middle-ground type of candidate and wants to use a “common-sense approach” to governing. He added that if elected, he would be a disruptor when necessary.“When we get to Washington, I promise, we will shake things up,” Wells said.Wells moved into the world of politics after spending more than six years as a teacher and football coach. After a stint as both a head coach and assistant at the high school level in South Carolina, he moved to the college level. He joined the football staff at the University of South Carolina, where he eventually was an assistant under College Football Hall of Fame member Lou Holtz. “One of my goals when I wrote them out as a young coach was to meet Lou Holtz,” Wells said. “Another goal was to work for Lou Holtz.”Wells spent six years as a defensive positions coach at USC, then took the defensive coordinator’s job at South Carolina State in 2002. Wells later spent two seasons as the head coach of FBC member Savannah State before leaving that job to jump into politics. In 2012, Wells sought the presidential nomination of the Constitution Party, which was eventually won by former Rep. Virgil Goode of Franklin County. In 2020, he was on the Democratic presidential primary ballot in New Hampshire, Texas and Louisiana. He won less than 0.1% of the vote in all three states.Wells said an interaction with former Jimmy Carter (who he said was a family friend) a few days before Carter defeated Gerald Ford in the 1976 presidential election inspired him to pursue politics.“It got in my blood then that I was going to serve in some capacity,” Wells said. “And then when you’re involved in coaching, you develop leadership skills, and you learn how to work with people and community in such a way where you’re all working in the same direction with the same goal. I figured if I could succeed there, why couldn’t I do that in Washington?“I know this district fairly well,” he said. “I’ve been up and down Interstate 81 for years. My campaign manager [Aaron Lyles] is right here in Roanoke as well. … We all have ultimate goals, and my ultimate goal is to be the president. But this is an opportunity where I could go to Washington and prove myself.”Wells said the biggest challenge in his campaign is not having the opportunity to be part of a debate with the other candidates on the ballot. He blames Cline, who he claims has declined to meet up with Wells in that kind of forum. If that doesn’t change, he said he has a consistent list of issues that he shares with voters he meets.Much of Wells’ campaign focuses on security — whether it’s the economy, protecting borders or ending gun violence in schools. Wells said the key to improving the economy is for Congress to serve the people instead of special interests of all kinds, including defense contractors. Less government spending would mean less inflation and lower costs for fuel, food and prescription costs.For a more secure Southern border, Wells believes the number of border patrol workers needs to double, and there should also be a large border patrol presence in Mexico as well. He calls his plan “Service for Freedom,” which includes doubling the border patrol without raising taxes.“How do you do that? You eliminate unconstitutional departments in Washington, such as ICE,” Wells said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “You wouldn’t even need ICE if you have a secure border. I want to double the border patrol, and then we need a president who has some backbone, who will go to the Mexican president and say ‘You need to double your border patrol, too, and we’ll get rid of this cartel problem. If you don’t do it, we’ll clean it up ourselves.’ Which means we invade them back.”Wells also believes an end to gun violence in schools would be to hire military veterans and train them to be guardians of the children. It’s a program he calls “Vets for Kids,” and it gives additional help for the resource officers, whose constant job is to make sure all children always feel safe at school.His bipartisan beliefs are the focus of Wells’ other legislative plans. He calls it “Eaglenomics,” which incorporates ideas that both sides of the aisle support.“I want to be a congressman in the 6th District that will actually give you some representation,” Wells said. “I want to get some things done in this district. It’s so funny. Of all the people that I’ve met, I’ve had 15 or 20 ask me if I ever saw the newsletter Congressman Cline puts out. I said I’ve seen it, but it has nothing to do with the district. It just talks about presidential politics, the impeachments. … So, let’s instead talk about what we can do right here and right now.”The post 6th District: Cline, Mitchell, Wells all say federal government is dysfunctional appeared first on Cardinal News.