Virginia voters narrowly approved a hotly contested redistricting referendum Tuesday that could have massive implications for which party controls the House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections.
The aggressive gerrymandering measure, which could net Democrats four congressional seats, passed in a 51% to 48% vote.
The referendum is expected to result in a dramatic power swing, potentially giving Democrats control of all but one of the state’s 11 congressional seats next year.
Virginia redistricting could result in Democrats taking control of all but one of the state’s 11 congressional seats. Social Good Fund for Dave’s Redistricting
Virginia’s congressional delegation currently breaks 6-5 in favor of Democrats, but the new map aims to shift it to a 10-1 split.
Republicans have lambasted the bizarre district boundaries in the new map as an attempt to silence conservatives in a state former Vice President Kamala Harris won with just under 52% of the popular vote in 2024.
National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) argued the close margin Tuesday night “reinforces that Virginia is a purple state that shouldn’t be represented by a severe partisan gerrymander.”
“Virginia Democrats can’t redraw reality,” Hudson said in a statement.
The ballot measure sought to amend Virginia’s constitution to give the Democrat-majority General Assembly temporary power to redraw the state’s congressional district lines. AP
The congressman noted lower courts “ruled twice to block this egregious power grab,” before the Virginia Supreme Court allowed the referendum to take place while it considered the legality of the maps.
“Even under this map, Republicans will hold our majority based on our record cleaning up Democrats’ mess and a historic war chest to litigate the Democrats’ failures,” Hudson vowed.
Ex-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and former state Attorney General Jason Miyares, who serve as co-chairs of Virginians for Fair Maps, praised voters for making the election a close one “while going up against $70 million of out-of-state money and shamefully misleading ballot language intended to keep them silent.”
Spanberger infamously said during her 2025 gubernatorial campaign that she had “no plans to redistrict Virginia.” Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Despite all odds, neighbors calling neighbors, homemade signs, and the support of grassroots leaders and donors across the Commonwealth brought us to within a photo finish,” Cantor and Miyares said in a statement.
They added, “Virginians disenfranchised by today’s vote will have their day in court.”
President Trump rallied against the redistricting effort on Monday, warning the result would have “major consequences for our entire country.”
“We’ll have one seat. At most, we’ll have one seat. And we can’t do that,” the president said during a tele-rally with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), calling the measure a “shameful effort to disenfranchise” conservative voters.
“If this referendum passes, Democrats will silence the voices of Virginia conservatives and push the same crazy radical left policies in Congress that [Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail] Spanberger is now bringing to Virginia,” Trump warned.
“You’ve been dealt a bad hand with this governor that you have,” he lamented.
Johnson urged Virginians to get out to the polls to defeat “the most gerrymandered map in the country” and “save our Republican majority in the House.”
The House speaker argued “extreme Democrats” aimed to “wipe out four Republican seats all in one fell swoop for one reason: they want to stop President Trump and our agenda in its tracks.”
Former President Barack Obama, who campaigned in support of the new maps, celebrated the result of the referendum on social media.
“Congratulations, Virginia!” Obama wrote on X. “Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet.
“Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.”
The ballot measure sought to amend Virginia’s constitution to give the Democrat-majority General Assembly power to redraw the state’s congressional district lines.
It’s the latest salvo in a redistricting war set off when Trump pushed GOP-controlled states to engage in rare mid-decade redistricting as a means of helping Republicans in the midterm elections.
Republicans will be defending their razor-thin House majority in the fall.
Texas, Missouri, Ohio, and North Carolina have redrawn district maps to favor Republicans.
Florida is also slated to pursue redistricting that could add GOP seats to the House.
Meanwhile, California voters approved new congressional maps last November aimed at canceling out the potential GOP gains in Texas.
“Today’s redistricting referendum is about one thing: President Trump’s power grab,” Spanberger wrote on X before polls closed.
“Last summer, he said he’s ‘entitled’ to more seats in Congress, and states across the country got to work to give him what he demanded,” she added. “You can push back, Virginia. Vote YES.”
Spanberger infamously said during her 2025 gubernatorial campaign that “I have no plans to redistrict Virginia.”