Virginia’s Democratic state legislature Friday agreed to hold a referendum on a redistricting plan that could flip as many as four Republican seats in the midterm elections.
In the latest pushback against President Trump’s unprecedented mid-decade gerrymandering plans, Virginia’s State Senate voted 21-18 along party lines to authorize a statewide up-or-down vote this spring on a yet-to-be unveiled new congressional map.
The constitutional amendment earlier past the state house by a whopping 62-33 margin after Democrats racked up sweeping gains in the Old Dominion State in last year’s off-year election.
If approved at the polls, the aggressive move could turn the state’s 6-5 Democratic congressional delegation to a 9-2 or even 10-1 edge.
Newly elected Gov. Abigail Spanberger has said she prefers a 9-2 map, which might make things easier for the existing Democratic House lawmakers to represent similar districts. But Democratic state lawmakers are eager to push for the most gains possible.
AP Photo/Steve Helber
Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger during an interview at the Capitol in Richmond, Va. on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The political stakes are enormous as both parties move to redraw maps in states they control to gain an edge in the midterms, where Democrats hope to flip the U.S. House and offer a check to Trump’s right wing agenda.
Republicans hold just a five-seat majority, so only a handful of seats changing hands could make a huge difference.
Trump started the fight by pushing Texas to draw a new map that could flip between three and five Democratic-held seats. California hit back with a move similar to Virginia’s, and voters passed a map that puts five GOP seats in Democratic crosshairs.
Several smaller states have also joined in the effort.
Florida Republicans say they may try to redraw maps to eliminate up to four or five Democratic seats in the Sunshine State.
New York Democrats are unable to push full-fledged redistricting until the 2028 election at the earliest. But a pending voting rights lawsuit could nix the Staten Island-based GOP district held by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, the only Republican in the NYC delegation.
