Virginia Redistricting Measure Passes, Likely Giving Democrats Four More Seats in the House

Virginia has voted to redraw its congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms, likely giving Democrats four additional seats in the House. The maps will have to survive a challenge at the state supreme court before they can be enacted. The redistricting ballot questions passed narrowly on Tuesday, despite Governor Abigail Spanberger winning by more than 15 points in November. As of Wednesday morning, the measure is set to pass by a margin of about three points. Democrats were ecstatic on Tuesday night, dealing a major blow to President Trump’s effort to have red states redraw congressional maps in order to give his party additional seats. The gerrymandering war kicked off last summer when he demanded Texas Republicans draw five districts to be more Republican, saying he was “entitled” to those seats. The House minority leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, not only celebrated the victory on Tuesday, but he warned Republicans against trying to take this redistricting fight any further. “Tonight, thanks to the relentless work of Virginia Democrats … ‘YES’ won and Donald Trump lost. Virginians spoke with a crystal-clear voice,” Mr. Jeffries said in a statement. “This war is not over,” he cautioned. “Next week, Ron DeSantis is hauling the Florida legislature back into a special session to redraw maps because Republicans know they are on the verge of an epic defeat in November.”“If Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime pick- up opportunities for Democrats,” Mr. Jeffries said. Governor Ron DeSantis has not finalized a new congressional map for his state, but there is fear among some in the House GOP that overplaying his hand could actually lead to Republican losses in November. The state is already gerrymandered to such a dramatic degree that even the slightest of changes to a number of Republican-held seats in order to draw new red districts could end up putting incumbents on the chopping block. “Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,” Mr. Jeffries warned. The Virginia effort drew in some major national political players. President Obama starred in a television ad for the “yes” campaign, while Speaker Mike Johnson and the state’s popular former Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, both held in-person rallies with the four Virginia House members who are now likely to lose their re-election races in the fall. President Trump, who has lost the state all three times he has run for president, did not campaign in the state, though he did hold a tele-rally on Monday night. He said that if the Virginia redistricting measure passed, then he would lose a certain amount of power. “If they get additional House seats, at some point, if they get these additional seats, they’re going to make changes at the federal level,” the president said.

Virginia Redistricting Measure Passes, Likely Giving Democrats Four More Seats in the House

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