Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Virginia voters have delivered a significant win to Democrats, as the state is poised to redraw its congressional districts ahead of this year’s midterm election.
According to a race call by The Associated Press, a narrow majority of Virginia voters approved a ballot measure put before them by the Democratic-led legislature that allows lawmakers to circumvent the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission and create more seats that are favorable to Democrats.
The new map could allow Democrats to win 10 out of the state’s 11 congressional seats — up from the six the party currently controls. A four-seat boost could play a big role in Democrats’ efforts to retake the U.S. House this fall.
Along with the high stakes, Virginia’s special redistricting election was closely watched because polling showed voters were somewhat mixed on whether to support the ballot measure. There was also a barrage of campaign ads coming from both sides that confused a lot of voters.
In the end, the pro-redistricting side won narrowly. With an estimated 95% of the results in, the “yes” side was up by nearly 3 percentage points. That’s far less than Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s 15-point romp last year, or Kamala Harris’ nearly 6-point win over Donald Trump in 2024.
The Virginia vote is the latest development in an ongoing redistricting battle set off by Trump last year. Trump asked lawmakers in Texas to create five more seats that favor Republicans in the state. Shortly after, California voters backed a plan to create five seats that favor Democrats. This essentially offset any gains Republicans were hoping to get out of Texas.
However, because Missouri and North Carolina Republicans created a few more GOP-leaning seats in their states, Republicans had a bit of an edge heading into the midterms.
That edge is wiped away by Virginia’s result.
In a statement, Kéren Charles Dongo, campaign manager for Virginians for Fair Elections, said with the result, “Virginia voters chose to fight back against Trump’s effort to rig congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. … The path to retaking the U.S. House of Representatives is fundamentally different tonight because Virginians chose to act.”
But there are legal matters looming. The Virginia Supreme Court has yet to rule on challenges to the redistricting effort, which could ultimately stop any new districts from being used in this year’s elections.
And in a statement of their own, Jason Miyares and Eric Cantor — former Republican officials who are co-chairs of the group Virginians for Fair Maps — alluded to the legal fight ahead, saying: “Virginians disenfranchised by today’s vote will have their day in court.”
Florida is also expected to jump into the national redistricting fight.
The state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, called for a special session at the end of the month and is asking lawmakers to draw more seats that would favor the party. Lawmakers there are not asking voters for permission, though, even though they approved a ballot measure in 2010 prohibiting lawmakers from drawing maps that favor one party over another.
