A, “5 alarm dumpster fire led by a coin-operated President,” is how Beth Macy put it today while speaking to a group of supporters outside Republican Congressman Ben Cline’s office in downtown Roanoke. With potential primary challenger Tom Periello headed back to the 5th district to challenge incumbent John McGuire, it appears as if the decks are cleared for a Cline-Macy showdown in the mid-term. Macy, the best-selling author of Dopesick and a former Roanoke Times reporter, criticized Cline’s voting record and his refusal to meet with the protestors that have gathered outside his office in downtown Roanoke every week for over a year. Cline’s 6th district is traditionally “bright red,” and he has been reelected easily every two years since succeeding Bob Goodlatte.
