Proposed Virginia map would help Democrats flip up to four House seats

WASHINGTON — Virginia voters are poised to weigh in on a proposed congressional map that would give Democrats an advantage in 10 of the commonwealth’s 11 House seats after Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Friday signed a bill setting up a spring referendum.

Democratic leaders in the Virginia General Assembly unveiled their proposed map Thursday after internal debate over how aggressively to redraw the lines. Under the current court-drawn map, Democrats hold six House seats to five for Republicans.

But should voters approve the new map in an April 21 special election, Democrats would have a chance to flip up to four House seats in November, boosting their efforts to win control of the chamber. The constitutional amendment would bypass the state’s independent redistricting commission to allow for a new map until the next scheduled nationwide redistricting ahead of the 2032 elections.

Both parties have sought to win an advantage through redistricting over the past several months. Virginia Democrats have framed their proposal as a temporary counter to Republican-led efforts in other states.

“Today we are leveling the playing field. These are not ordinary times and Virginia will not sit on its sidelines while it happens,” Virginia Senate leader L. Louise Lucas said Thursday. “We are proud to deliver a map that stands up for democracy.”

The spring referendum isn’t the only thing standing between Democrats and a new map, though. A Virginia judge last week sided with Republicans challenging the redistricting effort, ruling that the Democrat-controlled legislature did not follow its own rules when it began the process to adopt a constitutional amendment last year. The lawsuit is set to go before the Virginia Supreme Court.

Republicans argue the newly proposed map doesn’t reflect Virginia’s status as a politically competitive state. Rep. Rob Wittman, who currently holds the 1st District seat, referred to the new map as a “power grab.”

“This extreme proposal rigs the game before a single vote is cast, weakens trust in our elections, and tears down the reforms Virginians enacted to prevent exactly this kind of political manipulation,” he said in a statement.

Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman, who represents the 7th District, would likely run in the newly drawn 1st District if the map goes into effect.

Danny Laub, a senior adviser to GOP Rep. Jen Kiggans’ campaign, slammed Spanberger, saying the “extreme hyper-partisan gerrymandered map silences millions of Virginians.”

“One thing has become clear: Virginia Democrats are so terrified of Jen Kiggans’ record of success that they will lie, cheat, and steal to defeat her,” Laub said. “But Virginians know better and won’t be fooled by their illegal attempt to steal this election. They will still lose.”

Kiggans’ 2nd District, anchored in Virginia Beach, would be one of two swing seats under the new map. It would shift from a district that Donald Trump carried by less than a point in 2024 to one that would have backed Kamala Harris by 1 point, according to calculations by The Downballot.

The second swing seat would be GOP Rep. Ben Cline’s 6th District, which Trump carried by 24 points in 2024. Under the new proposal, the district would transform into one that Harris would have carried by 3 points, according to The Downballot.

The new lines could also reshuffle where several challengers would run. Democrat Shannon Taylor, the top prosecutor for Henrico County who has been running in the 1st District, said in a statement that under the new map she would run for the 5th District. Democratic former Rep. Tom Perriello, meanwhile, who has been challenging GOP Rep. John McGuire in the current 5th District, didn’t immediately specify where he might run under a new map.

“I am fired up to keep fighting for my hometown and the region that I love to get our voice back in Congress,” he said in a statement. “District lines may shift, but my values and commitments to working families across Virginia never will.”

While the Virginia Supreme Court has yet to weigh in on the challenge to Democrats’ moves, the campaign for the special election to adopt the maps is picking up. Virginians for Fair Elections, a pro-redistricting Democratic group, released its first television ad Friday, urging people across the political spectrum to support “fair elections,” and saying Virginians can stop “an unprecedented power grab.”

“‘Yes’ means voters have the final say on maps. A temporary, last-resort measure to restore fairness now – and protect independent redistricting in the future,” the ad says.

The Virginia referendum follows a similar ballot effort in California, where voters approved a new map that would give Democrats up to five pickup opportunities in this year’s midterm elections. Democrats are also poised to potentially pick up a seat in Utah, where a judge ordered a new map that created an overwhelmingly Democratic Salt Lake City-based seat. Republicans filed a lawsuit in federal court this week challenging that map.

But Republicans triggered the redistricting fight by adopting new maps in Texas, North Carolina and Missouri aimed at helping the party defend its narrow House majority. The GOP could also pick up at least two seats in Ohio, where the state’s Republican-led redistricting commission approved a new map last fall. And Florida is set to reconsider its congressional lines in April, with Republicans eyeing gains of up to five seats.