Virginia Democrats propose congressional map that could boost their party in the midterms
Virginia Democrats released a proposed congressional map Thursday evening that could allow the party to win all but one of the state’s districts in this year’s midterm elections.
Under the proposed map, former Vice President Kamala Harris would have won 10 of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts in the 2024 elections, instead of six. She would have only narrowly won two of them, but Gov. Abigail Spanberger won them by slightly larger margins in last November’s election, according to data provided by the Legislature.
Since Democrats control six Virginia districts, the redrawn map would give them the opportunity to pick up as many as four seats in their fight for control of a closely divided House.
But Virginia Democrats still face several obstacles to passing the 2026 election map. A state court blocked the redistricting effort last month, saying lawmakers failed to take the proper steps in passing a constitutional amendment intended to pave the way for redistricting. The state Supreme Court must now hear the appeal.
If the court allows the effort, voters would have to approve the constitutional amendment — which would allow Virginia Democrats to bypass the state’s redistricting commission — this spring.
To achieve the desired partisan effect, the Democrats’ proposal would divide the populated area of Arlington — a suburb of Washington — into five different districts, some of which extend deep into the state. The 9thth The Congressional District, a rural western district represented by Republican Morgan Griffith, would absorb more of the state’s rural areas and become the only solidly Republican seat in Virginia.
Democrats, who are in complete control of state government, have debated how aggressively the state map should be redrawn. Lawmakers had promised to release their proposal last month, but they failed to reach an agreement and continued working on the issues this week, a source familiar with the map-making process said, settling for the one they unveiled Thursday over the past 24 hours.
Virginia represents the biggest opportunity for Democrats to gain seats this year in the redistricting fight that has been underway across the country since mid-decade. President Donald Trump sparked it last year when he successfully urged Republicans in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina to draw new maps.
Democrats responded most forcefully in California, redrawing their districts in a way that gave them the chance to win up to five seats, which could offset potential gains for the Republican Party under the new Texas map. California voters approved the map in November, and the U.S. Supreme Court this week allowed it to take effect.
The Maryland House passed a new map this week that would eliminate the state’s only Republican-controlled district, but the state Senate’s Democratic leader opposed the move.
On the GOP side, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special session in April to address redistricting. Republicans hope a new map could win three to five seats.
