House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries struck a defiant tone Wednesday morning on the heels of Democrats’ win in Virginia in the partisan gerrymandering war leading up to November’s midterm elections.
“House Democrats will continue to fight one battle after another on behalf of the American people,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., said at a press conference at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, in an apparent reference to the Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar’s Best Picture winner.
“Last night was a big victory for the people of Virginia. A big victory for America. And a big victory for democracy. [President] Donald Trump and Republicans launched this gerrymandering war, and we made clear as Democrats that we’re going to finish it,” Jeffries continued. “We will not let Donald Trump rig the midterm election.”
The Virginia redistricting referendum passed by three percentage points and could net Democrats four U.S. House seats this year. The measure allows for a temporary adoption of new district lines but would return control of redistricting to an independent commission in 2031.
The Trump administration argued the ballot initiative was not a clear-cut win for Democrats.
