A referendum to drastically redraw Virginia’s congressional maps is coming down to the wire, with Democrats confident they will narrowly succeed despite millions of dollars spent on GOP ads designed to confuse voters about where Gov. Abigail Spanberger and former President Barack Obama stand on the issue.
If it passes, Tuesday’s vote would give the Virginia General Assembly the power to draw a map that would likely elect 10 Democrats and just a lone Republican to the House of Representatives, compared to the six Democrats and five Republicans who currently make up the state’s congressional delegation.
It’s the latest battleground in a fight, instigated by President Donald Trump, to redraw congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“Please get out and vote and vote no. It’s very simple,” Trump said during a tele-rally with supporters on Monday night. “Just vote no.”
While Virginia has become a solidly if not overwhelmingly blue state in recent decades, operatives working on the referendum have warned for months that the vote would be close, an assertion backed by public polling.
