Virginia Senate approves constitutional modification for redistricting

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The Virginia state Senate on Friday greenlit a constitutional modification that might clear the best way for the Democrat-controlled legislature to redraw the state's U.S. Home maps forward of this yr's midterm elections.

The transfer by state senators, following an identical vote on Wednesday within the state Home, was the ultimate step wanted to ship the modification to Virginia voters. If the poll measure is accredited this spring, the legislature, fairly than the present non-partisan fee, would redraw the state's congressional maps by 2030.

Virginia is the most recent battleground within the ongoing high-stakes battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats to change congressional maps forward of November's elections. And Virginia Democrats, who at present management six of the state's 11 U.S. Home districts, are aiming to attract as much as 4 extra left-leaning seats.

The Democratic Congressional Marketing campaign Committee (DCCC) known as Friday's improvement "a important step in giving Virginia voters the chance to make sure they've honest and equal illustration in Congress."

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Virginia lawmakers on Friday gave remaining approval to a constitutional modification that might clear the best way for the Democrat-controlled legislature to redraw the state's U.S. Home maps forward of the 2026 midterm elections. (AP Photograph/Steve Helber, file)

And charging that "Donald Trump and Republicans are doing every part they will to rig the midterms of their favor by unprecedented mid-decade gerrymandering," DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene argued that "Virginians — not politicians — will now have the possibility to vote for a short lived, emergency exception that may restore equity, stage the enjoying discipline, and stand as much as extremists searching for to silence their voices."

However the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus accused the state Senate Democrats of passing "a partisan gerrymandering modification to entrench their celebration in energy."

And the Republican Nationwide Committee (RNC) known as it a "energy seize."

"That is simply the newest instance of Democrats' multi-decade marketing campaign to gerrymander in each state the place they achieve energy," RNC nationwide press secretary Kiersten Pels argued in a press release to Fox Information Digital. "That is precisely why pink states are preventing again to stage the enjoying discipline after years of states like Illinois, New York, and California drawing their districts to disenfranchise Republicans."

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Virginia Democratic lawmakers have indicated they are going to launch a proposed map later this month.

And on Thursday, a Democratic-aligned nonprofit titled "Virginians for Truthful Elections" launched, to induce voters to vote in favor of the redistricting poll measure.

Aiming to forestall what occurred throughout his first time period within the White Home when Democrats reclaimed the House majority within the 2018 midterms, Trump final spring first floated the thought of uncommon however not unprecedented mid-decade congressional redistricting.

President Donald Trump has urged Republican-controlled states to enact congressional redistricting forward of November's midterm elections. (AP Photograph/Alex Brandon)

The mission was easy: redraw congressional district maps in pink states to pad the GOP's razor-thin Home majority to maintain management of the chamber in the midterms , when the celebration in energy historically faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Trump's first goal was Texas.

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When requested by reporters final summer time about his plan so as to add Republican-leaning Home seats throughout the nation, the president stated, "Texas would be the greatest one. And that’ll be 5."

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas known as a particular session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to move the brand new map.

However Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for 2 weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting invoice, energized Democrats throughout the nation.

Amongst these main the combat towards Trump's redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/672/378/gavin-newsom-prop-50-sacramento-california-nov.-4-2025.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/1344/756/gavin-newsom-prop-50-sacramento-california-nov.-4-2025.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/931/523/gavin-newsom-prop-50-sacramento-california-nov.-4-2025.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/1862/1046/gavin-newsom-prop-50-sacramento-california-nov.-4-2025.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks throughout an election night time press convention at a California Democratic Occasion workplace Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Sacramento, after passage of a congressional redistricting referendum. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photograph)

California voters in November overwhelmingly handed Proposition 50, a poll initiative that briefly sidetracked the left-leaning state's nonpartisan redistricting fee and returned the facility to attract the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.

That's anticipated to end in 5 extra Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the transfer by Texas to redraw their maps.

The combat shortly unfold past Texas and California.

Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio, and swing state North Carolina, the place the GOP dominates the legislature, have drawn new maps as a part of the president's push.

And Florida Republicans, in a transfer pushed by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers are additionally hoping to select up an extra three to 5 seats by a redistricting push throughout a particular legislative session in April.

In blows to Republicans, a Utah district choose late final yr rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state's GOP-dominated legislature and as an alternative accredited an alternate that may create a Democratic-leaning district forward of the midterms.

And Republicans in Indiana's Senate in December defied Trump, capturing down a redistricting invoice that had handed the state Home.

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/12/672/378/indiana-senate-redistricting-vote-dec.-11-2025-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/12/1344/756/indiana-senate-redistricting-vote-dec.-11-2025-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/12/931/523/indiana-senate-redistricting-vote-dec.-11-2025-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/12/1862/1046/indiana-senate-redistricting-vote-dec.-11-2025-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith declares the outcomes of a vote to redistrict the state's congressional map, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, on the Statehouse in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP Photograph)

However Trump scored an enormous victory when the conservative majority on the Supreme Court greenlit Texas' new map.

Different states which may step into the redistricting struggle are Democratic-dominated Illinois and Maryland and two pink states with Democratic governors, Kentucky and Kansas.

Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Courtroom, which is predicted to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, an important case which can result in the overturning of a key provision within the Voting Rights Act.

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If the ruling goes the best way of the conservatives on the excessive courtroom, it may result in the redrawing of a slew of majority-minority districts throughout the county, which might significantly favor Republicans.

However it is vitally a lot up within the air — when the courtroom will rule, and what it's going to really do.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter primarily based within the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the marketing campaign path from coast to coast."