Virginia Democrats just showed exactly how much they respect “democracy” when it doesn’t go their way.
Newly inaugurated Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed legislation pushing a radical redistricting referendum onto the ballot, a move that would completely upend Virginia’s congressional map and hand Democrats a near-permanent stranglehold on the state’s U.S. House delegation. If enacted, the plan would flip Virginia from a relatively balanced 6–5 Democrat advantage to a lopsided 10 Democrats, 1 Republican outcome. Totally normal stuff, nothing to see here.
The timing could not be more revealing. Democrats are staring down a tough 2026 midterm environment, and rather than persuade voters, they decided it would be easier to redraw the voters instead.
This scheme already took a serious hit in court last month. Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. delivered a scathing ruling that dismantled the entire Democratic maneuver. He declared the process unconstitutional and blocked any referendum until after the 2027 House of Delegates election. His message was clear. You do not get to bulldoze the state constitution just because you are nervous about losing power.
The heart of the controversy is an 11th-hour power grab in Richmond. Democrats tried to bypass Virginia’s voter-approved Bipartisan Redistricting Commission and yank map-drawing authority back to the General Assembly. Why? Because independent maps do not guarantee them permanent dominance. Gerrymandered maps do.
Judge Hurley pointed out multiple violations that Democrats apparently hoped no one would notice. The legislature failed to provide the required 90-day public notice before voting on the amendment, a basic transparency rule designed to keep voters informed. Even worse, Democrats pushed the amendment during a 2025 special session while early voting for the November election was already underway. That is not just sloppy. That is cynical.
Despite all of this, Spanberger signed a bill Friday morning setting an April 21 referendum and announced she would not stand in the way of the Democratic plan. Translation, let it rip and hope voters do not connect the dots.
Under the current court-drawn map, Virginia’s 11 congressional districts are split 6 Democrats to 5 Republicans. Under the proposed map, analysts project a 10 to 1 Democrat advantage, with Southwest Virginia’s 9th District as the lone safe Republican seat. Every other Republican district would be carved up, flooded with Democrat voters, and effectively neutralized.
This is not about fair representation. It is about power, plain and simple. Democrats lost control of the process, did not like the result, and are now trying to rewrite the rules mid-game. If Republicans attempted something this aggressive, the media would be screaming about the end of democracy.
Virginia voters should pay close attention. Once politicians start picking their voters, voters stop picking their politicians.
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