New voting maps flipped four Republican-held seats to give Democrats an edge in redistricting race sparked by Trump
Virginia Democrats asked the US supreme court on Monday to revive a congressional map designed to boost their party’s chances in November’s midterm elections, turning to the court as Republicans – including allies of Donald Trump – seek to preserve narrow control of Congress.
The case thrusts Virginia into an unusual, mid-decade redistricting showdown, as courts weigh whether lawmakers can remake House districts outside the normal post-census cycle – with control of a narrowly divided Congress potentially hanging in the balance.
Virginia’s top court on 8 May threw out a new electoral map that had been crafted to flip four Republican-held US congressional seats to Democrats, dealing a setback to Democratic hopes of retaking the US House. Republicans also hold a majority in the US Senate.
In a four-three decision, the Virginia supreme court rejected a Democratic-backed ballot measure approved by voters in April that reconfigured the state’s US House map for partisan advantage.
