Virginia Democrats show map to counter Trump redistricting but its future is unclear

Virginia lawmakers unveiled a proposed map designed to help Democrats win four more congressional seats in this fall’s midterm elections. The map comes in response to the redistricting push President Trump initiated trying to tilt the midterm elections toward Republicans.

Virginia’s current delegation in the House of Representatives has six Democrats and five Republicans.

The map and accompanying legislation was posted on the legislature’s website Thursday night and Democratic Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas confirmed it was the party’s proposed map.

“Donald Trump knows he’s going to lose the midterms. He knows it. That’s why he’s started this mess in the first place,” Lucas told reporters Thursday earlier. “Today we are leveling the playing field. These are not ordinary times, and Virginia will not sit on the sidelines while it happens.”

But the proposal has more steps to go before it could be in place in time for the 2026 midterms. In addition to approval from the legislature, the redistricting also requires voter approval of an amendment to Virginia’s constitution in a special election planned for April 21. Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, has yet to approve the special election. She faces a deadline to act by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 11.

Currently the state constitution gives redistricting power to a bipartisan commission. The amendment would let that commission be sidelined because other states have already redistricted for 2026 — outside the usual once-per-decade cycle.

The Democrats’ redistricting effort is also facing a challenge in the courts. Last week, a circuit court judge in rural southwestern Virginia said the Democratic lawmakers had not followed the law in the amendment process.

Democrats appealed shortly thereafter claiming the Republicans were “court shopping” in finding a circuit judge who would rule their way. A Virginia appeals court asked the Supreme Court of Virginia to take up the case in a Wednesday filing.

Republican lawmakers have argued that Democrats’ reasoning wasn’t strong enough to justify changing the state constitution.

“When I hear from my good friends on the other side of the aisle that, ‘Hey, this is nothing but a little thing. We’re just taking care of a little business because the guy across the river is a meanie,'” Republican State Sen. Bill Stanley said as Democrats debated the legislation to set the referendum date. “[When] we change the constitution, we do it very deliberately. And we do it for a reason because it requires it as we move forward for Virginia until the end of time.”

Republicans have a small edge so far in redistricting for 2026

Virginia is key in Democrats’ effort to counter Trump’s push to tip the scales in favor of Republicans in 2026.

Currently, the GOP has a majority in the U.S. House by just a few seats and holding onto that edge would be important for Trump’s agenda and for staving off Democratic-led investigations into his administration for the last two years of his term.

Usually, states redistrict early in the decade after the census count comes in.

But in July, Trump got Texas Republicans to redistrict in a way that could net them five House seats now held by Democrats. Then California Democrats countered. Their map, approved by voters in a special election in November, could help them win five seats held by Republicans.

Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina have also redistricted in the GOP’s favor. Florida Republicans plan to redistrict in April, which happens to be when Virginians could be at the polls to vote on the commonwealth’s redistricting amendment.

Maryland Democrats are considering a map that would help flip that state’s one Republican-held seat.

But in all so far, Republicans have tilted two or three seats more their way than Democrats have. Republicans have an edge, in part, because they control more state legislatures.

If the Virginia plan reaches the ballot, voters will be asked if the state constitution should be amended “to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections” while reverting to the standard redistricting process after the 2030 census.

Jahd Khalil covers Virginia politics for VPM News.