Virginia redistricting ruling deals blow to Democrats’ midterm hopes |
Virginia redistricting ruling deals blow to Democrats’ midterm hopes
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday dealt a blow to Democrats’ hopes of flipping the House this fall, throwing out the redistricting referendum that was set to give Democrats a midterm boost.
The Virginia court’s decision invalidates the state’s newly adopted congressional map, which would’ve expanded Democrats’ expected edge from 6-5 to 10-1.
The ruling does not erase Democrats’ chances of flipping the House in November, when both low approval numbers for President Trump and historical trends are expected to work in their favor. But it’s a setback in the redistricting arms race after new, GOP-friendly maps in multiple red states had given Republicans more than a dozen new pickup opportunities.
It also comes just days after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana’s maps weakened a portion of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and sparked new talk of redistricting in more red states across the South.
Democrats seethed at the outcome, accusing the GOP of hypocrisy.
“Today, four unelected judges decided to cast aside the will of the voters. This is a setback that sends a terrible message to Americans – the powerful and elite will do everything they can to silence you,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.), chair of the Democrats’ House campaign arm, adding that voters will “power Democrats to the House majority” in the fall.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who championed the Democratic-friendly map that was approved by voters last fall in the Golden State, pointed out in a post on social platform X that this cycle’s redistricting changes in five red states were made without going out to voters.
“Virginia’s voter-approved maps thrown out. MAGA has rigged the system,” Newsom said.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) similarly contrasted Virginia’s process with “Republican-led states that have redrawn their maps through backroom deals.”
“If the Virginia Supreme Court had legitimate concerns about this referendum, the time to stop it would have been before three million Virginians cast their ballots,” the senator said in a statement. “But the Court let the process move forward, and Virginians sent a message loud and clear: we see President Trump’s brazen power grab in states across the country, and we won’t stand for it.”
Virginians last month voted to approve a state constitutional amendment allowing the Legislature to temporarily draw new lines, which were expected to hold until the redistricting........