Virginia Democrats are moving to redraw the state’s congressional maps in an effort to gain an electoral edge ahead of next year’s midterms, according to multiple reports.
Democrats currently hold six of Virginia’s 11 U.S. House seats, but new district lines could expand that advantage to as many as nine, depending on how aggressively lawmakers pursue the plan. If successful, Virginia would become the second state, after California, to attempt mid-decade redistricting as Republicans in states like Texas have adopted new maps at President Donald Trump’s urging.
State House Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat, notified members of the House of Delegates Thursday that they will reconvene for a special session on Oct. 27, according to a letter to delegates obtained by the Virginia Scope. State Democrats have not yet commented on the scope or agenda of the special session — the same means through which Texas Republicans redrew the Lone Star State’s House map.
As in California, Democrats would need to override Virginia’s constitutionally mandated redistricting commission, which voters approved by nearly a two-to-one margin in 2020.
The process to eliminate the commission, or a constitutional amendment, requires the Legislature to pass an amendment in two consecutive sessions — one this year and another after Jan. 15 — followed by a statewide referendum that could appear on the ballot early next year, according to the New York Times.
State Democrats currently hold narrow majorities in both chambers, with a 51–49 advantage in the House of Delegates — whose members face reelection Nov. 4 — and a 21–19 edge in the Senate, where seats are not up again until 2027.
Scott’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
“I’ve long supported nonpartisan redistricting and fair maps, but Donald Trump has spent months trying to rig the system instead of actually tackling rising costs for Americans,” Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia posted on X Thursday. “It’s no surprise that Democrats in places like Virginia would be thinking through appropriate ways to respond.”
Republicans, meanwhile, have blasted the apparent move as a blatant power grab.
“Democrats see the political tide turning against them and now they’re trying to rewrite the rules before voters even finish casting their ballots,” Republican state Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle said in a statement. “Calling a special session to undo Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting Constitutional amendment is not about fairness or good government, it’s about power.”
Amending Virginia’s constitution does not require the governor’s approval under state law, but Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is currently trailing former Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the state’s race for governor, slammed the timing of Democrats’ move.
“This is what panic looks like,” Earle-Sears campaign spokesperson Peyton Vogel said in a statement, according to CNBC. “With just 12 days until Election Day, Abigail Spanberger and her Democrat allies have given up on talking to voters about real ideas and solutions.”
Earle-Sears’ campaign nor the Virginia GOP responded to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Beyond California — where voters in November will decide whether to adopt a new map that could net Democrats up to five additional seats — Virginia is one of the few states where Democrats still have room to maneuver on redistricting. Even in deep-blue states like Illinois, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has faced strong resistance from state Democrats over his push to redraw their already heavily gerrymandered congressional map.
Meanwhile, Republicans have advanced new congressional maps in several states, including Texas, which passed a map in August, expected to give the GOP five additional House seats in the midterms. Missouri followed in September with a map projected to add one Republican seat, and North Carolina approved a new map on Wednesday, expected to yield one more GOP seat.
The Trump administration has also called on Republicans in Indiana to redraw congressional maps, but state Senate leaders say they currently lack the votes to move forward with mid-cycle redistricting.
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