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The Virginia state Senate on Friday greenlit a constitutional modification that will clear the best way for the Democrat-controlled legislature to redraw the state’s U.S. Home maps forward of this 12 months’s midterm elections.
The transfer by state senators, following an identical vote on Wednesday within the state Home, was the ultimate step wanted to ship the modification to Virginia voters. If the poll measure is accredited this spring, the legislature, fairly than the present non-partisan fee, would redraw the state’s congressional maps by way of 2030.
Virginia is the most recent battleground within the ongoing high-stakes battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats to change congressional maps forward of November’s elections. And Virginia Democrats, who presently management six of the state’s 11 U.S. Home districts, are aiming to attract as much as 4 further left-leaning seats.
The Democratic Congressional Marketing campaign Committee (DCCC) referred to as Friday’s improvement “a vital step in giving Virginia voters the chance to make sure they’ve truthful and equal illustration in Congress.”
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Virginia lawmakers on Friday gave remaining approval to a constitutional modification that will clear the best way for the Democrat-controlled legislature to redraw the state’s U.S. Home maps forward of the 2026 midterm elections. (AP Picture/Steve Helber, file)
And charging that “Donald Trump and Republicans are doing every part they’ll to rig the midterms of their favor by way of unprecedented mid-decade gerrymandering,” DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene argued that “Virginians — not politicians — will now have the prospect to vote for a short lived, emergency exception that can restore equity, degree the enjoying area, and stand as much as extremists looking for to silence their voices.”
However the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus accused the state Senate Democrats of passing “a partisan gerrymandering modification to entrench their occasion in energy.”
And the Republican Nationwide Committee (RNC) referred to as it a “energy seize.”
“That is simply the latest instance of Democrats’ multi-decade marketing campaign to gerrymander in each state the place they achieve energy,” RNC nationwide press secretary Kiersten Pels argued in a press release to Fox Information Digital. “That is precisely why crimson states are combating again to degree the enjoying area after years of states like Illinois, New York, and California drawing their districts to disenfranchise Republicans.”
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Virginia Democratic lawmakers have indicated they’ll launch a proposed map later this month.
And on Thursday, a Democratic-aligned nonprofit titled “Virginians for Honest Elections” launched, to induce voters to vote in favor of the redistricting poll measure.
Aiming to forestall what occurred throughout his first time period within the White Home when Democrats reclaimed the House majority within the 2018 midterms, Trump final spring first floated the concept of uncommon however not remarkable mid-decade congressional redistricting.
President Donald Trump has urged Republican-controlled states to enact congressional redistricting forward of November’s midterm elections. (AP Picture/Alex Brandon)
The mission was easy: redraw congressional district maps in crimson states to pad the GOP’s razor-thin Home majority to maintain management of the chamber in the midterms, when the occasion in energy historically faces political headwinds and loses seats.
Trump’s first goal was Texas.
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When requested by reporters final summer time about his plan so as to add Republican-leaning Home seats throughout the nation, the president mentioned, “Texas would be the largest one. And that’ll be 5.”
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas referred to as a particular session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to move the brand new map.
However Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for 2 weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting invoice, energized Democrats throughout the nation.
Amongst these main the battle in opposition to Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks throughout an election night time press convention at a California Democratic Get together workplace Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Sacramento, after passage of a congressional redistricting referendum. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Picture)
California voters in November overwhelmingly handed Proposition 50, a poll initiative that briefly sidetracked the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting fee and returned the ability to attract the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.
That’s anticipated to lead to 5 extra Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the transfer by Texas to redraw their maps.
The battle rapidly unfold past Texas and California.
Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio, and swing state North Carolina, the place the GOP dominates the legislature, have drawn new maps as a part of the president’s push.
And Florida Republicans, in a transfer pushed by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers are additionally hoping to choose up a further three to 5 seats by way of a redistricting push throughout a particular legislative session in April.
In blows to Republicans, a Utah district choose late final 12 months rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and as a substitute accredited an alternate that can create a Democratic-leaning district forward of the midterms.
And Republicans in Indiana’s Senate in December defied Trump, taking pictures down a redistricting invoice that had handed the state Home.
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith pronounces the outcomes of a vote to redistrict the state’s congressional map, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, on the Statehouse in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP Picture)
However Trump scored an enormous victory when the conservative majority on the Supreme Court greenlit Texas’ new map.
Different states which may step into the redistricting battle are Democratic-dominated Illinois and Maryland and two crimson states with Democratic governors, Kentucky and Kansas.
Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Court docket, which is anticipated to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, a vital case which can result in the overturning of a key provision within the Voting Rights Act.
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If the ruling goes the best way of the conservatives on the excessive courtroom, it might result in the redrawing of a slew of majority-minority districts throughout the county, which might drastically favor Republicans.
However it is extremely a lot up within the air — when the courtroom will rule, and what it’s going to truly do.
