Virginia Senate approves constitutional amendment for redistricting

The Virginia state Senate on Friday gave the inexperienced gentle to a constitutional modification that will clear the best way for the Democratic-controlled Legislature to redraw the maps of the U.S. Home of Representatives forward of this yr’s midterm elections.

The senators’ resolution, after an identical vote Wednesday within the state Home, was the ultimate step wanted to ship the modification to Virginia voters. If the poll measure is authorized this spring, the Legislature, as an alternative of the present nonpartisan fee, would redraw the state’s congressional maps by means of 2030.

Virginia is the newest battleground within the ongoing high-stakes battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats to vary Congress’ plans forward of the November election. And Virginia Democrats, who at present management six of the U.S. Home of Representatives’ 11 districts, are looking for 4 further left-leaning seats.

The Democratic Congressional Marketing campaign Committee (DCCC) known as Friday’s improvement “a essential step to provide Virginia voters the chance to make sure they’ve truthful and equal illustration in Congress.”

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Virginia lawmakers gave ultimate approval Friday to a constitutional modification that will clear the best way for the Democratic-controlled Legislature to redraw the maps of the U.S. Home of Representatives forward of the 2026 midterm elections. (AP Photograph/Steve Helber, file)

And claiming that “Donald Trump and the Republicans are doing every thing they’ll to rig the midterm elections of their favor by means of unprecedented mid-decade gerrymandering,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene argued that “Virginians – not politicians – will now have the chance to vote for a short lived emergency exception that can restore equity, degree the enjoying discipline and take motion towards extremists who search to silence their voices.”

However the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus accused Senate Democrats of “adopting a partisan gerrymandering modification to entrench their social gathering in energy.”

And the Republican Nationwide Committee (RNC) known as it a “energy seize.”

“That is simply the newest instance of Democrats’ decades-long marketing campaign to gerrymander in each state they arrive into energy,” RNC nationwide press secretary Kiersten Pels argued in an announcement to Fox Information Digital. “That is precisely why crimson states are combating again to degree the enjoying discipline after years of states like Illinois, New York and California drawing their districts to disenfranchise Republicans.”

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Virginia’s Democratic lawmakers have indicated they are going to launch a proposed map later this month.

And on Thursday, a Democratic-focused nonprofit known as “Virginians for Honest Elections” was launched to induce voters to vote in favor of poll redistribution.

Aiming to keep away from what occurred throughout his first time period within the White Home when Democrats regained the bulk within the Home of Representatives within the 2018 midterm elections, Trump first floated the concept of ​​a uncommon however not unprecedented mid-decade redistricting of Congress final spring.

President Donald Trump has urged Republican-controlled states to implement congressional redistricting forward of November’s midterm elections. (AP Photograph/Alex Brandon)

The mission was easy: redraw the district maps of crimson states to strengthen the Republican Social gathering’s razor-thin majority within the Home of Representatives and thus keep management of the Home through the midterm elections, when the social gathering historically in energy faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Trump’s first goal was Texas.

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When reporters requested final summer season about his plan so as to add Republican seats within the Home of Representatives throughout the nation, the president stated, “Texas would be the largest. And there can be 5.”

Republican authorities Greg Abbott of Texas known as a particular session of the Republican Social gathering-dominated state legislature to approve the brand new map.

However Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for 2 weeks once they fled Texas in an effort to delay passage of the redistricting invoice, energized Democrats throughout the nation.

Amongst these main the struggle towards Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom of California.

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks throughout an election night time press convention at a California Democratic Social gathering workplace in Sacramento on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, after passing a congressional redistricting referendum. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photograph)

California voters in November overwhelmingly handed Proposition 50, a poll initiative that quickly sidelined the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting fee and the ability to return congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated Legislature.

That’s anticipated to end in 5 extra Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter Texas’ transfer to redraw its maps.

The battle shortly unfold past Texas and California.

Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio, and the swing state of 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 an effort by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers, are additionally hoping to achieve three to 5 further seats by means of reapportionment throughout a particular legislative session in April.

In a blow to Republicans, a Utah district choose late final yr rejected a congressional district map drawn by the state’s Republican Social gathering-dominated Legislature, as an alternative approving another that can create a Democratic-leaning district earlier than the midterm elections.

And Republicans within the Indiana Senate defied Trump in December, taking pictures down a redistricting invoice handed by the state Home.

Lt. Indiana Governor Micah Beckwith pronounces the outcomes of a vote to redistrict the state’s congressional map, Thursday, December 11, 2025, on the Statehouse in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP Photograph)

However Trump received a significant victory when the conservative majority on the Supreme Courtroom gave the brand new map of Texas the inexperienced gentle.

Different states that would enter 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 Courtroom, which is predicted to rule on Louisiana v. Callais, a pivotal case that would result in the undoing of a key provision within the Voting Rights Act.

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If the ruling goes the best way of conservatives within the Supreme Courtroom, it might result in the realignment of a slew of majority-minority districts within the county, which might vastly favor Republicans.

However the query stays when the courtroom will rule and what it’s going to really do.