Virginia’s General Assembly approved a proposal to redraw the congressional map, which favors Democratic candidates for 10 of 11 commonwealth districts.
Next stop for the prototype redistricting is the Democratic Governor. Abigail Spanberger’s desk. The governor can sign the entire bill, veto a specific item, amend the legislation, or choose not to act at all. In this case, the bill will become law in seven days.
Terry Kilgore, Minority Leader of the House of Delegates, urged his House of Delegates colleagues to vote against the Bill on the Floor. In an impromptu Friday press conference, he urged Spanberger not to sign the bill after it passed.
Kilgore told reporters that the idea was a half-baked one all along. There are just so many issues with this.
Friday, the governor’s office failed to respond to an inquiry for comment on this legislation.
Virginia Democrats called for redistricting after Republican President Donald Trump asked conservative-led states, to change their congressional map in favor of GOP Candidates ahead of the midterm elections of 2026.
Court case questions remain
The Supreme Court of Virginia released a decision on Feb. 13, saying that the referendum for April 21 can proceed, as it prepares to listen to an appeal of the Tazewell County Circuit Court’s January ruling. The court ruled that redistricting efforts were in violation of the state constitution.
On Thursday, the same Tazewell County Court ruled in favor of Republicans in another lawsuit filed by national Republican organizations and two Virginia Republican congressmen.
This second ruling declared the redistricting efforts “legally invalid” and told state officials specifically to stop “administering or preparing for the referendum, or otherwise moving forward with the cause of an election,” on the basis that the legislation supporting the redistricting has many legal problems.
Del. Price said that, in the meantime, election officials had halted preparations for the start of early voting on March 6, due to the latest ruling of the Tazewell County Circuit Court. Cia Price (D-Newport News), who chairs the House Elections and Privileges Committee, said that in the meantime, elections officials have halted their preparations ahead of early voting on March 6 due to a recent ruling from Tazewell County Circuit Court.
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