As President Trump pushes Republican-led states to redraw their Congressional districts for their party’s benefit in this year’s midterm elections, Virginia’s General Assembly plans to respond in kind. Democrats, who hold a majority in both the state House and Senate, are moving forward with a plan that amends Virginia’s constitution to allow mid-decade redistricting. Depending on how maps are drawn, the plan could shift Virginia’s Congressional delegation from its current six-Democrat and five-Republican breakdown to a nine and two, or even 10 and one, split.
“I still believe in a bipartisan or nonpartisan process, but we are in uncharted waters,” says state Sen. Creigh Deeds. “We’ve got a president who’s gone from state to state, Republican states, seeking redistricting for the bald purpose of creating partisan advantage. We have to be able to respond to that.”
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner echoed Deeds’ support for the redistricting measure during a December press conference. “Do I think, in the absence of unprecedented partisan actions by this president, that nonpartisan redistricting makes sense? Yes,” he said. “I’m not sure any of this would have happened unless Donald Trump was … putting enormous pressure to try to cook the elections in 2026.”
“I’m glad our leaders in Richmond stood up for Virginia voters,” says 5th District Democratic Congressional candidate Tom Perriello, who represented VA-5 from 2009 to 2011—the most recent Democrat to hold the seat. “What Texas was doing, really, was trying to say that Virginia voters aren’t going to have a say in these midterm elections.”
Virginia amended its constitution in 2020 to create a bipartisan redistricting committee incorporating citizens and elected officials. When that effort deadlocked in 2021, the state Supreme Court chose two special masters to redraw Virginia’s districts. While redistricting historically coincides with each decade’s census, Democrats’ proposed amendment would allow mid-decade redistricting if any other state does so before Oct. 31, 2030.
Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger has expressed tentative support for the effort. If the measure passes, it’s expected to go before voters in an April referendum.
“Limiting this tool with both a trigger and a sunset makes it clear that this is not an effort to undo the Virginia Redistricting Commission,” says Charlottesville Del. Katrina Callsen. “It is an effort to give voters a chance to respond to current events and protect democracy where we can.”
Henry Perritt, Jr., a retired law professor consulting on redistricting with the Albemarle County Republican Committee, calls Democrats’ efforts “the first salvo in an assault on democracy in Virginia.” Perritt says that among other procedural irregularities, the bill failed to pass before the 2025 election as state law requires. The proposal passed the state senate October 31—before Election Day, but after the start of early voting.
“I don’t think partisan gerrymandering is any more legitimate because it has only a window of operation,” Perritt says, adding that he’d oppose a similar move if it were undertaken by Republicans here. “The General Assembly doesn’t legislate for Texas. Why is it distorting the Virginia constitutional process in anticipation of what might go on in Texas? That’s not legitimate.”
When asked whether he would consider similar efforts in Republican-led states legitimate, Perritt says, “I don’t have a view on that right now. I don’t know enough about them.”
“I don’t think the technical objections really stand for much,” Deeds says. “We’re just trying to make sure we do everything according to the code, everything according to the Constitution, and we have, so far.”
Asked about the potential for Democrats’ efforts to dilute Republicans’ votes in Virginia, Deeds says, “Candidly, you have to look at the big picture. Isn’t that exactly the reverse of what was done in Texas and Missouri and North Carolina? It is. We have to stand up and make sure that the people of this country have decent representation.”
Robert Tracinski, one of the Democrats running for the VA-5 seat currently held by Republican Rep. John McGuire, says he understands the need to respond to Republican efforts. But he worries that there are “real costs” to a mid-decade redistricting, including “a much longer and more chaotic and uncertain Democratic primary, and then less time to take on the Republican opponent in the general election.”
“I support it as a matter of exigency,” says VA-5 Democratic candidate Mike Pruitt. “I understand the position we are in nationally.” Like every official reached for comment, Pruitt supports nonpartisan redistricting at the national level, and says the current “nationwide arms race of different redistricting and gerrymandering fights” points to larger structural problems. “It’s like you’ve taken the American democracy as if it’s a giant pool inflatable, and you’ve held it underwater to see where some of the pinholes are,” he says.
Perriello says new maps might benefit voters of every stripe. “I think one problem in this part of the state is that you’ve had three pretty Republican gerrymandered areas, and that can mean that incumbents don’t have a lot of challenge,” he says. Perriello hopes redistricting will create “a lot more attention in this part of the state, and a lot more opportunities for voters right, left, and center to push for better representation.”
“This has to go to the voters,” said Warner. “What’s different about Virginia than what took place in Texas or North Carolina is Virginia voters get a say. None of this is going to happen unless Virginia voters approve.”—with reporting by Catie Ratliff
