The Lobster Triumphs |
Reason Roundup
The Lobster Triumphs
Plus: Tit-for-tat gerrymandering, D.C.'s flowing fountains, more war in the Strait of Hormuz, and more...
Christian Britschgi | 4.22.2026 9:41 AM
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests
(Kendall Warner/TNS/Newscom)
The lobster triumphs. In a special election yesterday, 51 percent of Virginia voters approved a heavily gerrymandered congressional map that will likely give Democrats control of all but one House seat in the purple state.
The state's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives is currently comprised of six Democrats and four Republicans. Under the new map approved by voters, that will likely become 10 Democrats and one Republican, come the November midterms.
The Reason Roundup Newsletter by Liz Wolfe Liz and Reason help you make sense of the day's news every morning.
Δ
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Email(Required)
SUBSCRIBE
Virginia's congressional map is normally drawn by an independent redistricting commission and then approved by the state's General Assembly. Voters approved this commission-led system in 2020 as a solution to the past Assembly-controlled redistricting process that critics argued had produced maps gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.
Yesterday's vote was required to amend the Virginia Constitution so as to again allow lawmakers to directly draw districts for partisan advantage. Individual voters might not realize that, however, if they were only relying on the ballot language describing the measure.
The wording of this question is so absurdly biased that it should be rejected without even considering the substance, frankly. (Not my ballot, I live in DC. Stolen from @CorieWhalen.) pic.twitter.com/iQxBRFpqkQ
— Robby Soave (@robbysoave) April 21, 2026
The new map itself........