Politics get personal: Virginia congressmen and Lynchburg’s 6th district chair speak to students

The College Republicans at Liberty University hosted a special event Monday, Jan. 20, with U.S. Congressmen Denver Riggleman and Ben Cline and Lynchburg’s 6th District Chair Jennifer Brown to speak on how they got their start in the political sphere.

The event was different than a regular College Republican events. Instead of speaking about today’s political climate, the politicians discussed how they launched their journeys in politics. 

Vice chair of the club Jack Collins said they wanted to switch up the topic of the event to provide an alternative to the political conversation around Liberty.

“Often times at Liberty, politics and mainstream politics get shoved down your throat,” Collins said. “College Republicans are guilty of that sometimes. We wanted to provide an opportunity for students to get to know the legislators on a personal level.”

Collins said it is important for students to get involved in politics to make a difference and to have their voices heard. It is important to know who represents you, Collins said.

“Especially with everything going on in Washington, impeachment across the state, it is important for college students to get involved in politics,” Collins said. 

Cline and Brown began as lawyers. Riggleman, however, came from a different background. 

Riggleman had no plan to be a politician. He was enlisted in the Air Force and spent 11 years in the military serving in various aspects. After his time in the military, he became a businessman and struggled against related government regulations. Riggleman became a politician for the first time during the last election when he won the 5th District seat against Democrat Leslie Cockburn. 

“As for me, why I got into politics, I hate bullies,” Riggleman said. “I think you’re a coward if you don’t serve. I will tell you I despise politics, but I think you’ve got to have people in politics that hate it. We need people who value service over a career. That’s what I’m here for.”

Brown received her start in politics when she realized it was time to make a difference by getting involved herself. 

“I was seeing that our country was going into a pit of despair with the all of the Democrats and what they were doing, so I decided that it was time for me to actually stop not getting involved and finally get really involved,” Brown said.

Cline encouraged the audience on the importance of getting involved in politics, even if they prefer to stay out.

“It’s really going to be up to us, those of us who advocate for less government, because we know that our churches, our communities, our neighborhoods, can solve the problems better than government,” Cline said.

College Republican State Chairwoman Courtney Britt moderated the event. Free Chick-Fil-A was provided, and a Visa gift card was awarded by way of a contest to advertise for the event. 

Slaughter is a news reporter. Follow her on Twitter.