Democratic legislators in the General Assembly unveiled their proposed new congressional map Thursday night. The new map would favor Democrats in 10 out of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts, compared to the existing map, where Democrats occupy six seats.
Under the proposal, people living in James City County and York County and Williamsburg would be moved into the new 8th District, which would stretch from York to through Spotsylvania county, with a narrow stretch encompassing parts of northern Virginia, including Alexandria. Those localities are currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman in the 1st District.
The Virginia Public Access Project reports that the new 8th District would favor Democrats 63.1% to Republicans’ 36.9%, based on 2025 election results. The current 1st District leans Republican, according to VPAP.
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The proposed 1st District is vastly different from Wittman’s current district — it no longer includes the Middle Peninsula and would instead include a sliver of central Virginia and snake all the way up to the Washington, D.C. suburbs.
The proposed new 2nd District, currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans is visually similar to the existing district, including the Eastern Shore, Isle of Wight, Virginia Beach, parts of Chesapeake, and Suffolk. However, it now excludes Southampton, but it does pick up new areas of Chesapeake from heavily Democratic 3rd District. According to VPAP, the proposed district is made up of 54.5% Democrats compared to 45.5% Republicans. The current district is categorized as leaning Republican, though narrowly. The district voted for President Donald Trump with 49.2% of the vote in 2024, compared to 49.0% of the vote that went towards Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The proposed 3rd District, currently represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, is also substantially in the same location. It would continue to include parts of the heavily Democratic cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton and Newport News. But the district loses a portion of Chesapeake and also picks up Republican-leaning Poquoson. Under those changes, new projections favor Democrats 69.8% to Republicans’ 30.2%. In 2024, 66.3% of the district voted for Harris compared to 31.9% who voted for Trump.
Democrats have passed for the second time a constitutional amendment that would allow for the General Assembly to redraw congressional maps mid-decade in response to other states’ redistricting efforts at the behest of Trump.
Republicans have challenged the amendment, and that case is now before the Supreme Court of Virginia. If the amendment is allowed to go forward, voters will decide on a yes or no basis whether to adopt the amendment with the proposed map.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger will need to sign legislation that schedules that referendum, which she is expected to do Friday.
“State elections administrators have told the Governor that the General Assembly’s map can be implemented before voting begins,” a spokesperson for her administration said in a statement. “The Governor’s priority has been upholding the integrity of Virginia’s elections, and her team has been working throughout this process to make sure any proposed map could actually be implemented on the quick timeline before elections administrators.”
At a press conference Thursday morning, Democrats said the goal of redistricting was to level the playing field with Republican-led states that have redistricted to favor the GOP.
“These are not ordinary times, and Virginia will not sit on the sidelines while it happens,” said Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth. “Our maps are ready. Virginia is ready. We said 10-1 (Democratic-advantaged districts to Republican-advantaged districts), and we meant it. We are proud to deliver a map that stands up for democracy, to stand up Virginians, to stand up and give us a voice. (Trump) started this mess, and Virginia is going to finish it.”
Spanberger has not officially said if she supports the redrawn map, but House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, said at the same press conference that he thought she was on board.
“I think both bodies, the legislature and the executive, are on the same page,” he said. “Now we just got to get the judicial to get out the way.”
The new map is tacked on to what’s called the caboose budget, the bill that amends the existing biennium budget and takes into account new revenue data for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends June 30. Budget amendment language is expected Friday.
Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kate.seltzer@virginiamedia.com
