Virginia voters delivered Democrats a narrow victory in a high stakes special election redrawing congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections − a war started by over President Donald Trump that may now harm his party's prospects.
The Associated Press and NBC News called the referendum in favor of the "yes" side, which favored crafting an aggressive Democratic-leaning map for the state's 11-member delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrats currently hold a 6-to-5 edge but under the new lines would temporarily transform into one that gives them an overwhelming 10-to-1 advantage.
"Virginia voters have spoken, and tonight they approved a temporary measure to push back against a President who claims he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress," Gov. Abigail Spanberger said in a statement to USA TODAY.
"Virginians watched other states go along with those demands without voter input — and we refused to let that stand. We responded the right way: at the ballot box."
