Virginia Democrats Plan to Redraw House Maps in Redistricting Push
Source: New York Times
Oct. 23, 2025, 11:37 a.m. ET
The next front in the nation's pitched battle over mid-decade congressional redistricting is opening in Virginia, where Democrats are planning the first step toward redrawing congressional maps, a move that could give their party two or three more seats.
The surprise development, which is set to be announced by legislators on Thursday, would make Virginia the second state, after California, in which Democrats try to counter a wave of Republican moves demanded by President Trump to redistrict states to their advantage before the 2026 midterm elections. No other Democratic state has begun redistricting proceedings, while several Republican states have drawn new maps or are deliberating doing so.
Democrats now hold six of Virginia's 11 congressional seats. Redistricting could deliver two or three additional seats for the party, depending on how aggressive cartographers choose to be in a redrawing effort. "We are coming back to address actions by the Trump administration," said Scott Surovell, the majority leader of the Virginia Senate, who confirmed the plans.
The Virginia Democrats' moves are the latest in a monthslong tango that has resulted in Texas and Missouri enacting new maps that add more Republican seats, California asking voters to approve a new map to add Democratic seats and North Carolina Republican lawmakers on Tuesday approving a new map expected to transfer one congressional seat to Republicans from Democrats.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/us/politics/virginia-democrats-redistrict.html
No paywall (gift)
Had to dig through the article but VA would be doing this via the state Constitutional Amendment process (like CA) and the governor has no involvement. Democrats currently control both chambers of their state legislature and can vote on the amendment this current session and then again early next year as their "2nd" approval, before it goes to the voters, where all of that can happen ahead of the November 2026 election.
littlemissmartypants
(30,423 posts)50 Shades Of Blue
(11,293 posts)returnee
(705 posts)Something to consider before we get our hopes up.
rogue emissary
(3,316 posts)Living in Feolon34 America, I'm going to keep my mouth shut and say "Fight fire with Fire".
He's made all of us hypocrites.
BaronChocula
(3,638 posts)We aren't being hypocrites. We're just being reluctantly practical.
Maybe not so reluctant in my case. I'm all for giving terrible people a dose of their own medicine. And I know here in California, the stated proposals are only temporary.
AverageOldGuy
(3,093 posts)YEEEHAAA!!!! Do it! About time Democrats grew a spine!
pandr32
(13,567 posts)Bengus81
(9,525 posts)70sEraVet
(5,025 posts)to preserving democracy, and that would put a stop to all of this madness.
But I support the blue states fighting back any way they can!
stollen
(988 posts)Ben Cline has been absolutely useless. A Trump sycophant if ever there were one.
FBaggins
(28,511 posts)They could strengthen the 7th and 10th so that they're no longer competitive and it wouldn't be too hard to turn the 2nd blue...
Maybe two is possible, but it would risk a few of those seats being competitive. The western half of the state is just too red to get three.
Also - the harder we push the less likely the voters are to approve it. VA isn't CA
FBaggins
(28,511 posts)We may also have a court problem with this one. It wouldn't be hard to argue that the purpose of the intervening general election requirement is to allow the voters a chance to respond to the first action.
But Virginia started voting a month ago.