Candidate announced 2026 challenge to Cline Aug. 20 in Weyers Cave
~ PVN staff report
LURAY, Aug. 22 — Congressional hopeful Pete Barlow made a stop at the Page Valley Fair on Friday evening, just two days after announcing his 2026 bid to challenge incumbent Ben Cline for Virginia’s 6th District seat in the House of Representatives.
“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 stated during his Aug. 20 announcement in Weyers Cave.
The Democratic candidate is a 10th-generation native of the Shenandoah Valley, a Peace Corps volunteer, an environmental biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and a former FEMA leader with decades of experience in public service. Raised in the Brethren and Mennonite traditions, Barlow has worked across disaster recovery, rural healthcare, and environmental protection. He says he’s running for Congress to bring real accountability and investment back to rural Virginia.
About 140 supporters reportedly showed up, according to his campaign, when he announced his candidacy last Wednesday at Valley Pike Farm Market in Weyers Cave. During his announcement, Barlow highlighted the challenges facing the district, from cuts to rural health care to policies that hurt farmers and small businesses.
Cline was first elected to represent the 6th District in 2018, and the Republican incumbent will be defending his congressional seat for a fourth time in 2026. He represented the 24th District in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2018.
Barlow spent about four hours on Friday evening at the Page Valley fairgrounds in Luray as part of his “People Talk to Pete: The Truck Tour,” where he plans to travel through towns and hollows across Virginia’s 6th Congressional District to hear directly from families and small businesses about how national policy is affecting their lives. For more information on the candidate, CLICK HERE.
For a video of Barlow’s Aug. 21 announcement in Weyer’s Cave, visit https://www.facebook.com/petebarlowforcongress/videos/1255653773004319
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