Less than a week before Virginians head to the polls to decide the fate of the state’s congressional map, a representative from a district at the center of the controversy pushes back. 

In an interview with the Ruthless Podcast released on Thursday morning, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., rebuffed the efforts by Virginia Democrats to change the layout of the congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. 

“Their goal is the long game,” Cline said of the Democrat-backed redistricting attempt. “It is the short game of the next election, but it’s also the long game of trying to turn rural Virginia into either a non-impact on politics or convert. You either assimilate or you’re destroyed.”

Under the proposed map, Cline’s district in the western part of the state would be divided into five new seats. Josh Holmes, a co-host of the podcast, explained that this would dilute the impact of rural voters.

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“They are attempting to split into five different districts to minimize a rural vote that they can overcome with Northern Virginia suburban NGO defense contractors,” Holmes said during the interview. 

Virginia Democrats are following a national trend. Cline noted how this redistricting playbook has been used by Democrats across the country. 

“They definitely want to turn us into New England,” the congressman first elected in 2018 said. “Massachusetts used to have Republican members of Congress, a much more balanced delegation. Now it’s 9-0. But Republicans vote, what, 40 percent of the population there. They do it in Illinois. Most of the states where they control, they’re trying to just draw Republicans completely out.”

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Cline’s comments come as the polling on the referendum is tightening.  A recent poll from the Washington Post showed support for redrawing the state’s maps, leading by only 5 points. The projections show a closer race than last year’s gubernatorial election, where Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Sears by more than 15 points.

Voters will get their chance to weigh in on the redistricting fight on Tuesday. Virginians will decide whether to approve a constitutional amendment enabling the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional map. 

Democrats claim that creating new maps would restore fairness to apportionment. Republicans argue that this is a gerrymander by turning the delegation from a six-five Democrat-majority to a 10-one Democrat-majority in a state where Kamala Harris only beat Donald Trump by six points. 

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Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., who currently represents the Southwest part of the state, would likely become the only Republican remaining in Virginia’s delegation. 

Cline appeared on Ruthless as a part of the Ruthless Midterm Interview Series, an ongoing initiative to interview major GOP candidates. The hosts have already interviewed candidates in 12 states, with more scheduled as primaries across the country take place ahead of the November midterms. 

After Tuesday’s election on the map, Virginians will return to the polls on August 4th for the Republican and Democratic congressional primary elections. The general elections will take place on November 3rd. 

Two people were taken into custody on Wednesday after a shooting that killed a 15-year-old and wounded two others in what police described as a gang-related shooting at Eisenhower Park on Long Island in New York.

The shooting occurred around 8:20 p.m. near Hempstead Turnpike and Merrick Avenue, the Nassau County Police Department said.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told reporters that gang members saw an invitation on social media for a barbecue at the park, according to CBS New York.

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Two people then became involved in an argument and shots were fired, Ryder said.

Three people, including the 15-year-old boy, were struck by gunfire. The three victims were transported to a local hospital, where the teenager was pronounced dead.

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The two other victims were listed in stable condition, and Ryder said they underwent surgery late Wednesday. Their ages were not immediately known.

Two people who were both carrying weapons were taken into custody. Police did not release the suspects’ identities or specify what charges they may face.

The shooting remains under investigation.

After the shooting, responding officers flooded the area. Patrol cars were seen lining the roadways and a police helicopter was observed circling the park as officers investigated the incident.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin accused California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer of failing to understand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as the new Democratic front-runner pledges to abolish the agency if elected.

During an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle” Wednesday, Mullin pushed back on Steyer’s comments that ICE has “criminal” tendencies.

“I’m very straightforward about this; ICE should be abolished,” Steyer said at a February debate. “You really can’t reform an organization which is absolutely wrong and criminal from top to bottom.”

Mullin, who took the reins of the Department of Homeland Security roughly three weeks ago, said the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful does not have the power to abolish the federal immigration agency.

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“He doesn’t have the authority to do it, and he’s talking on the left side of his mouth,” he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “He doesn’t understand ICE’s role.”

Recent polling places Steyer as the front-runner in the race to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom. He leads with 21% of likely voters, while Republican candidate Steve Hilton trails at 18%.

Steyer has emerged as a sudden Democratic front-runner after various sexual misconduct allegations forced Eric Swalwell to drop his gubernatorial campaign and resign from Congress.

Mullin criticized Steyer’s stance on immigration enforcement, arguing that ICE is required to abide by federal law.

“ICE simply enforces the nation’s immigration policies and deports individuals and goes after the criminals that should never be in this country to begin with,” the DHS chief told Fox News.

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“We’re not doing anything outside the law, we’re working well within the law, and they’re doing a job every single day protecting, even people like himself, that want to decriminalize criminals. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Mullin also said Steyer’s fellow California Democrats, who largely hold anti-ICE stances, have the power to reform ICE through congressional legislation.

“[Steyer] says they’re criminal from top to bottom? ICE is enforcing the laws that Congress passed. That means that the Democrats that represent California in the federal government, if they wanted to change ICE’s authority, they could do it,” he added.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Steyer said President Donald Trump is responsible for turning ICE “criminal.”

“I understand perfectly well the role ICE has played under this president,” Steyer wrote in the statement. “Donald Trump has turned ICE into a criminal enterprise, so we will treat them like one. If they break the law in California, they will be prosecuted — just like anyone else.”

In addition to defending ICE, the new DHS secretary pledged to maintain the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign and communicated a willingness to accept the “right” kind of immigrants.

“We’re not slowing down,” Mullin said. “We’re going after the illegals, and we would love for them to leave on their own, and we’ll assist them. We have programs to help assist you to go back to your country, because if we have to go through the prosecution process, you’ll never come back in this country legally ever.”

“We want legal immigration, people that want to make the country stronger. We’re a nation of immigrants. We understand that. But the right kinds of immigrants.”