Virginia inches closer to gutting GOP seats through redistricting

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Politico

01/16/2026 01:40 PM ESTUpdated: 01/16/2026 01:59 PM EST


Virginia Democrats on Friday paved the way to aggressively gerrymander in the state — the latest step in a process they hope will hand them as many as four more congressional seats in this fall’s midterm elections.

The Democrat-dominated Virginia Senate passed a constitutional amendment along party lines that allows state lawmakers to begin redrawing congressional maps. The final decision will eventually go before voters in a spring special election. Earlier this week, the House of Delegates approved the measure by 62-33.

Virginia is the last opportunity for national Democrats in the pre-midterm redistricting wars. The party is seeking to keep pace with Republican-led states including Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina, which have all gerrymandered at the urging of President Donald Trump, to give Republicans an advantage this fall and help maintain GOP control of the House. California Democrats previously pushed through a major redistricting effort.

Democrats argue it’s crucial for lawmakers in Virginia to alter maps, arguing it helps the party keep pace with GOP-led states that have already enacted mid-decade changes to their congressional lines. Democrats won unified control of the state in last November’s elections; Democratic-Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger will be sworn in on Saturday. Ahead of the amendment’s passage, Republican state Sen. Mark Peake accused Democratic of initiating a push to redraw maps to punish Trump.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/16/virginia-redistricting-legislature-00733644

[SSJVegeta]

1. The map is going to be D10-R1

Based on 2024 results I guess

[AverageOldGuy]

2. Already Virginia Republicans . . .

. . . are pissing and moaning about this. Fuck them.

ALSO -- the Virginia General Assembly is poised to approve amendments to the State constitution:
-- make abortion a constitution right
-- automatically restore the right to vote to felons who have completed their sentence. VA is one of a few states that take away the right to vote to anyone convicted of a felony and the person must apply to have that right restored when their sentence is completed. There are -- the last I checked -- over 200,000 people who completed their sentences (some of them as much as 20 years ago) but who still have not applied to restore their rights).

The redistricting and these two amendments will be on the ballot for a special statewide referend sometime this spring, possibly at the same time as primary election in mid-June.

If the new districts are passed, my Congressman will be gerrymandered out of his seat-- which is a good thing because he has been in office since 2007 and is a 100% Trump supporter as well as refusing to hold town hall meetings.

Read the details here on LowKell's "BlueVirginia" blog:

https://bluevirginia.us/2026/01/video-virginia-senate-democrats-advance-constitutional-amendments-to-the-ballot-allowing-virginians-to-decide-the-future-of-their-freedoms/

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Never thought I'd see the day for VA

There has always been so much red there (I expect many (R)s descending from the original dixicrats) and it is slowly being dissolved away.

[Katcat]

11. Yeah

I live in Wv and cannot wait to sell our place to move to VA

[OnionPatch]

13. Come on over!

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Parts of my mom's maternal and paternal sides were from VA well over a century ago

And about 30 years ago, I ran into one of them, an older gentleman, when going to lunch near my work building, when he was up visiting here in Philly trying to get an expedited passport. He approached and apologized before asking if I knew of a couple folks because he said I looked "familiar". I know my mom used to mention his name and that whole branch down there and I was like "wow"... and we ended up chatting about relatives for about 20 minutes before he and I had to go.

[VTderry]

3. Good.

Dems having been taking butter knives to the gun fight for far too long.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. They are not punishing Trump. They are protecting the fairness of the vote.

[Buns_of_Fire]

5. "Just doing this to 'punish' trump" is, to me, in the same category as

"Oh, you just hate trump." My standard answer has evolved into "Yeah, I do. What of it? He's a sleazy, lying sack of human garbage. What's not to hate?"

[Tetrachloride]

7. that's the question: what's not to hate

[efhmc]

8. Wow, that is better. Was just scanning headlines to see what I wanted to read and read getting instead of gutting.

Much better.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. LOL

It's definitely good news though as some blue states have a more convoluted process to redistrict.

[BidenRocks]

10. maga tears.

Thing is the liberals won't make a T-shirt out of this juvenile crap like maggats did.

Piss and moan because the parties over.

Got those shredders working overtime?

[NBachers]

12. Good. Then they can go door-to-door dragging republicans out of their homes and deport them to Somalia.