(A)Political - February 7th

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Hasn’t been a slow week in D.C. Let’s jump in!

In spite of a court ruling, Virginia officials are moving to tighten Democrat control in Congressional representation with a new map being put forward. Congressional leaders continue to clash over the SAVE act, which heighten requirements for voting in federal elections. A key suspect involved in the 2012 Benghazi terror attacks has now been captured and extradited to the U.S.

• Virginia Officials Move Forward With New Congressional Map, Heavily Favoring Democrat Interests

• Congressional Leaders Clash Over Proposed SAVE Act

• Key Suspect In 2012 Benghazi Terror Attack Has Been Captured

Virginia Officials Move Forward With New Congressional Map, Heavily Favoring Democrat Interests

_{By: Atlas}

Virginia's Democratic legislative majority released a proposed congressional map on Thursday evening that would give their party a commanding advantage in 10 of the state's 11 U.S. House districts — a move that, if enacted, would represent one of the most aggressive partisan gerrymanders anywhere in the country this cycle.

The proposal landed after weeks of internal debate among Democratic lawmakers over just how far to push the lines. A less aggressive 9-2 split had been on the table, but leaders settled on the bolder option within the final 24 hours before going public. State Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas confirmed that the 10-1 configuration had already locked down the 21 votes needed to clear the Senate. "We said 10-1, and we meant it," she told reporters at a brief press conference in Richmond alongside House Speaker Don Scott.

Under the current map — drawn by court-appointed experts in 2023 after a bipartisan redistricting commission deadlocked — Virginia sends six Democrats and five Republicans to the U.S. House. The proposed lines would upend that balance. According to data published by the Virginia Public Access Project, former Vice President Kamala Harris would have carried 10 of the 11 redrawn districts in the 2024 presidential election. Gov. Abigail Spanberger's margins in the 2025 gubernatorial race were even wider across most of those same seats.

The only district left safely in Republican hands would be the 9th, a rural stretch of southwest Virginia currently held by Rep. Morgan Griffith.

How the lines would shift

The mechanics of the gerrymander rely on splitting densely populated Democratic strongholds across multiple districts. Arlington — a Washington suburb that is among the bluest jurisdictions in the state — would be carved into five separate districts, several of which reach deep into Virginia's interior. Fairfax and Prince William counties would undergo similar divisions.

On the map's western edge, the 6th Congressional District, now represented by Republican Ben Cline, would be pulled eastward out of the Shenandoah Valley and repositioned around Charlottesville and central Virginia. Traditionally Democratic-voting cities like Blacksburg, Roanoke, and Salem would be bundled into a single district.

Four sitting Republican members of Congress stand to be directly affected. Rob Wittman's 1st District and John McGuire's 5th District would shift to comfortably blue territory. Jen Kiggans' 2nd District and Cline's 6th would become competitive but still lean Democratic — by roughly 9 and 11 points respectively, based on 2025 gubernatorial returns. Former Rep. Elaine Luria, who lost to Kiggans in 2022 and is already running for a rematch, would benefit from the new 2nd District tilting further in her direction.

A court fight clouds the timeline

None of it can take effect without clearing a significant legal barrier. Virginia's constitution currently vests redistricting authority in a bipartisan commission — a structure voters endorsed overwhelmingly in 2020, with 66 percent support. To bypass that process, Democrats need voters to approve a constitutional amendment in a special election tentatively set for April 21.

That plan hit a wall in January. Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack S. Hurley Jr. sided with Republican legislators who argued that Democrats had botched the procedural requirements for advancing the amendment. Hurley found that the legislature's first passage of the measure took place during early voting for the 2025 general election, which under state law invalidated the effort. His ruling blocked the amendment from going before voters.

Democrats appealed immediately. On Wednesday, the Virginia Court of Appeals referred the matter to the Supreme Court of Virginia for expedited review. Scott expressed confidence the ruling would be overturned. A spokesperson for Spanberger said state elections officials have confirmed the proposed map could be implemented in time if the legal challenge is resolved. Spanberger signed legislation Friday morning formally setting the April referendum date, though she holds no direct role in the amendment itself.

Republicans push back hard

The Republican response has been sharp and unified. Mike Young, president of Virginians for Fair Maps, called the proposal "an illegal, hyper-partisan gerrymander drawn in backrooms hidden from the public." He added that it "completely disregards common sense and silences millions of Virginians."

Former Attorney General Jason Miyares, who recently joined Virginians for Fair Maps, wrote on social media that Democrats had produced "an illegal map that the court told us we can't draw." Rep. Wittman described it as an effort to rig "the game before a single vote is cast."

Republicans have leaned heavily on the 2020 redistricting commission amendment as proof that Virginia voters already rejected this kind of partisan line-drawing. That commission ultimately failed to produce a map, leading to the court-drawn districts now in place — but the principle behind it, Republicans argue, remains the settled will of the electorate.

Where Virginia fits in the national fight

The map released Thursday is inseparable from a redistricting arms race playing out across the country ahead of the November midterms. President Trump urged Republican-controlled legislatures to redraw their maps last summer, and Texas moved first, carving out five new GOP-friendly seats. Missouri and North Carolina followed, each converting a Democratic-held district. Florida Republicans are planning their own special session in April.

Democrats countered most forcefully in California, where voters last fall approved a ballot measure redrawing lines in a way that could flip as many as five Republican seats. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed that map to take effect earlier this week. In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore has pushed to eliminate the state's lone Republican-held district, though Democratic Senate President Bill Ferguson has resisted the effort.

On balance, the national redistricting picture has so far tilted two to three additional seats toward Republicans. Virginia is where Democrats see their best remaining chance to close that gap — or erase it entirely.

Not everyone is convinced the gamble will pay off long-term. Nicholas Goedert, a political scientist at Virginia Tech who studies redistricting, noted that Virginia has historically swung against the party occupying the White House in off-cycle elections. A 10-1 map built for 2026 could easily become a liability for Democrats in future years.

"I think the Democrats could win 10 seats in 2026," Goedert said. "But if you look at, say, 2030 — if you had a Democratic president, that could backfire on Democrats."

The next move belongs to the Virginia Supreme Court. Its decision on the constitutional amendment will determine whether voters get a say on April 21 — and whether Democrats can turn the most ambitious redistricting proposal in the state's modern history into reality before the midterm elections arrive.

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