Posted on 02/12/2026 11:02:19 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
Virginia’s proposed new congressional map, which gives Democrats all but one seat in a state that still votes more than 40% Republican, is sparking new debates over the proper use of political power.
Conservatives in particular are split over whether Virginia Democrats’ aggressive gerrymander is an abomination to be condemned or an example red states should follow ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
President Donald Trump urged Republican-led states such as Texas to pursue mid-decade redistricting to help the GOP defend its razor-thin House majority by creating new pickup opportunities for the president’s party. Some red states heeded Trump’s call. Others, like Indiana, demurred.
But blue states have answered with redistricting pushes of their own. California voters approved a map backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), a likely 2028 presidential candidate, to counter any Republican gains in Texas. Maryland Democrats’ new map could erase the state’s last Republican-held House seat.
Nowhere has been quite as audacious or lopsided as Virginia. If approved by voters and allowed by the courts, the commonwealth’s congressional map could be up to 10-1 Democratic.
All of Virginia’s statewide elected executive officers, including the governor, were Republicans as recently as mid-January. (Democrats swept the off-year elections in Virginia last November.) Former Vice President Kamala Harris won just 51.8% of the vote against Trump there in 2024. Large swathes of the state south of the Washington, D.C., suburbs remain heavily Republican. The current split in the Virginia congressional delegation is just 6-5 Democratic, though both senators are Democrats. Virginians haven’t elected a Republican to the upper chamber...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
The left knows how to use power, you have to give them that.
Why the split? Both are true. You speak to Democrats in a language they understand.
Thank you, Indiana a-holes.
So it occurred to me that one problem with redistricting a 55/45 state to have zero Republicans is that it makes the margins in most districts very slim. A small swing in voting could yield a large change in outcomes.
Again, the Constitution provides that Congress has ultimate authority over the election process for federal offices. If these redistricting actions are deemed unfair the Congress has the authority to override it.
Not bad, but it would never get 60 votes in the Senate.
We’ll find out soon. The referendum on changing the state constitution is up for a vote in a couple of months. I hope the VAGOPe grows a spine on this one, although I fear they won’t.
Only if people get off their collective butts and vote. There are too many people who won’t vote, that, if they did, would yield more GOP victories.
“So it occurred to me that one problem with redistricting a 55/45 state to have zero Republicans is that it makes the margins in most districts very slim. A small swing in voting could yield a large change in outcomes.”
That’s quite logical, but in this case no “small swing” is going to be sufficient. As in California, Democrat gerrymanderers are experts whereas Republicans who attempt the same thing often are not.
The proposed 10-1 Virginia map is really 9-1-1. Nine Rat districts, 1 super solid GOP district and 1 — just 1 — tossup. VA-2 in the Virginia Beach area is the lone tossup and is rated as D+2. That’s a tossup but of course leans the wrong way.
Every other Democrat district is at least D+5 or D+6 which means Democrats would win on average by at least TEN or TWELVE points (not 5 or 6 points).
That would require a good-sized swing to flip and if this map is somehow in effect for 2026, it’s going to end up as 10-1 or, best case scenario, 9-2. By 2028 Republicans *might* have a better chance. They WILL have a better chance if the gerrymander map goes into the wastebasket, but don’t rely on that happening.
Probably not but theCongress is not the only resource when it comes to unfair districts and voting regulations.
Not going to make a difference.
We voted for a Republican majority in Congress. Yet John Thune is content by doing nothing with his majority in the Senate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.