Virginia Democrats pass map that could flip 4 US House seats, if courts and voters approve

Virginia Democrats Push Controversial Redistricting Plan Amid Legal Challenges

Democrats in Virginia passed a new congressional map through the state legislature on Friday, aiming to gain four additional U.S. House seats in what has become a nationwide redistricting battle. The move represents a significant flex of the party’s political power in the state, though several legal hurdles stand in the way before these new district boundaries could impact this year’s midterm elections.

A judge in Tazewell County, located in conservative Southwest Virginia, effectively blocked the Democrats’ plans by issuing a temporary restraining order against a voter referendum on the redrawn maps. The order, issued Thursday, prohibits officials from preparing for the referendum through March 18, creating a tight timeline problem for Democrats who had scheduled early voting to begin March 6.

Democrats are currently appealing this decision, along with an earlier ruling from the same judge who determined that the party illegally rushed the planned voter referendum on their constitutional amendment. The Virginia Supreme Court has taken up the appeal of the earlier ruling, but time is running short for Democrats hoping to implement new districts before the upcoming elections.

If successful in court, Democrats plan to hold a referendum in April where voters would choose whether to temporarily adopt new congressional districts before returning to Virginia’s standard redistricting process after the 2030 census. Democratic lawmakers published their proposed map ahead of the planned April vote.

The redistricting battle in Virginia is part of a larger national trend sparked when former President Donald Trump pushed Republican officials in Texas to redraw districts to help the GOP maintain its narrow House majority. This unusual mid-decade redistricting effort triggered similar actions across the country, creating what political analysts describe as a partisan mapping arms race.

Republicans believe they can gain nine more House seats through new maps in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio. Democrats counter that they could win six more seats in California and Utah, with Virginia potentially providing the remaining three seats needed to offset Republican gains.

Virginia Democratic Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell has framed his party’s redistricting push as a response to Trump’s actions. “The president of the United States, who apparently only one half of this chamber knows how to stand up to, basically directed states to grab power,” Surovell said in February. “To basically maintain his power indefinitely — to rig the game, rig the system.”

Republicans have strongly criticized the Democratic plan. House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore argued that the remap would allow liberal voters in northern Virginia counties to dominate the state’s political landscape, further marginalizing areas like southwest Virginia that already feel underrepresented in state politics.

Virginia is currently represented in the U.S. House by six Democrats and five Republicans who were elected in districts created by court order after a bipartisan legislative commission failed to agree on a map following the 2020 census. The Democrats’ more aggressive gerrymandering would significantly alter this balance of power.

The legislation now awaits the signature of Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger, who has indicated she supports it. “Virginia has the opportunity and responsibility to be responsive in the face of efforts across the country to change maps,” Spanberger stated.

Democratic candidates are already positioning themselves for runs in districts that would become more favorable under the new map. Beth Macy, author of “Dopesick,” and former U.S. Representative Tom Perriello have launched campaigns in currently Republican-leaning areas that would gain more registered Democrats. State Delegate Dan Helmer and former federal prosecutor J.P. Cooney, who investigated Trump before being fired by him, are running in a formerly rural district that would now include more Democratic-leaning suburbs outside Washington, D.C.

Former Democratic congresswoman Elaine Luria is mounting a comeback against Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans, who defeated her in 2022, in a competitive district that the new map would make slightly more favorable to Democrats.

The outcome of this redistricting battle could significantly impact the national political landscape, potentially determining which party controls the House of Representatives after the 2024 elections.