Virginia is for gerrymanderers: Redistricting vote Tuesday a threat to silence conservatives

On Tuesday, Virginians will go to the polls to vote on a referendum that, if passed, would flip the state's congressional map from 6-5 Democrat to potentially 10-1 Democrat. At least one prominent Democrat admitted that the move is not intended to better represent the people of Virginia, but rather to stand up to President Donald Trump.

"90% of Virginians are not Democrats; that's true [...] but we're giving Virginians a chance to vote about whether they want to have a congressional delegation that will stand up to Donald Trump's tyranny," Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said. 

Kaine, a Democrat, revealed in the interview that the potential congressional map is not about fair maps or democracy in the Old Dominion, it's about enforcing a Democrat grip on the state to more radically oppose Trump's agenda and policies. 

Four out of five districts would be roped into going blue, despite voter preferences

Currently, five districts are solidly red to light red: areas encompassing the Blue Ridge mountains in the west of the state, Norfolk and Richmond. All but one district would be gerrymandered blue, the exception being the southwest corner of the state. 

Democrats have not only sent senior senators like Kaine to speak on the issue. Former President Barack Obama has appeared with increased frequency in ads urging Virginians to vote "yes," telling them that voting "yes is the responsible thing to do." Obama, who used to oppose gerrymandering, frames the Republican stance as aiming to "steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election." Virginians For Fair Maps, the leading group opposing redistricting, launched a TV ad last Thursday that emphasized Obama’s past criticism of gerrymandering.

The brazen nature of Democrats' latest variety of power grabs is of no surprise to many Republicans, including National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) president Martha Jenkins. 

Jenkins told Just The News, "President Trump taught us more about how to govern and how to be in power and to take advantage of it and not always cower to the media. The media has covered for Democrats for so long that they've just grown to expect it. Even though they still have the mainstream media in their corner, it's not enough. I think they're just desperate." 

Two recent polls show a close race. A State Navigate poll, conducted April 10-13 among 707 likely voters, showed narrow support for the Virginia congressional redistricting referendum with 51% voting Yes, 45% No, and 4% Don’t Know (margin of error ±3.7%). Another recent poll from April 1-3 by the Neighborhood Research Corporation poll (with a smaller sample of 319 likely voters) found a slight lean against the measure at 45% Yes and 46% No, with 9% Don’t Know (±5.5%).​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Democrats' aggressive use of gerrymandering to keep grip on power

In the last decade, Democrats in blue states have aggressively used gerrymandering to minimize Republican representation. Massachusetts, despite Trump winning about 36% of the vote in 2024, still elects zero Republicans to its nine U.S. House seats.

In 2021, Illinois Democrats drew maps around Chicago that pack and crack Republican areas, securing a lopsided delegation. New York attempted a 2021 redistricting (later struck down by courts), while states like Maryland and Oregon produced Democratic-favoring lines.

Republicans responded in red states such as Texas, where in 2025 they passed mid-decade redistricting to add multiple GOP seats by diluting Democratic urban votes.