A map now shows the precise ways Virginia would be carved up into new congressional districts if voters approve a constitutional amendment allowing redistricting this year.
The map, released Thursday night, gives Democrats an advantage in 10 of Virginia’s 11 districts. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bill Friday that would schedule the ballot referendum for April 21. She did not say whether she intends to sign the bill that changes the map.
Republicans have strongly opposed the redistricting effort since Democrats’ plans emerged in October. But with a map in hand, Virginia’s five Republican members of Congress now know what — and who — they could be up against in the mid-terms.
Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, of Scott County, said the divisions are so severe he expects they would attract review by the Justice Department.
“Being from southwest Virginia, it looks to me like Fairfax is going to have five congressional candidates,” he told reporters Friday. “All those folks in Fairfax have a different worldview than folks in other parts, in Hampton Roads or Richmond.”
He said Republicans intend to continue to fight against the map’s passage, including through an ongoing lawsuit. A Virginia judge ruled in Republicans’ favor, finding the General Assembly did not properly pass legislation enabling a constitutional amendment. That case is before the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Several U.S. House members, whose districts would been remolded, were quick to weigh in.
Related Articles
Virginia House passes familiar gun control measures
Former Democratic candidate for Virginia House of Delegates pleads guilty in fraud case
Here’s what a new congressional map could mean for Hampton Roads
Senate committee advances cannabis legislation with new legal penalties
Bill to study light rail extension to Oceanfront fails; new version more broad
The 2nd District, represented by Republican Jen Kiggans, would pick up new areas of Chesapeake from the heavily Democratic 3rd District under the proposed new map. Kiggans remains in the same district. She faces challenges from several Democrats, including Elaine Luria, who held the seat for two terms.
“One thing has become clear: Virginia Democrats are so terrified of Jen Kiggans’ record of success that they will lie, cheat, and steal to defeat her,” Kiggans’ spokesperson Danny Laub said in a statement. “But Virginians know better and won’t be fooled by their illegal attempt to steal this election. They will still lose.“
Though redistricting might appear to give Democrats the edge in what has been a purple district, a win is not guaranteed under the proposed map, according to the Center for Politics in Virginia.
“In the southeastern corner of the state, Rep. Jen Kiggans (R, VA-2) catches a break on this proposal — in fact, at first glance, her very marginal Virginia Beach-centered seat looks almost unchanged,” wrote Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman. “While her district would flip from voting for Trump by a few tenths of a percentage point to voting for Harris by a little over a point, VA-2 would remain what it’s been in recent years: a classic swing seat.
“While Kiggans faces a well-credentialed opponent — former Rep. Elaine Luria (D), who held this district before losing to Kiggans in 2022 — we probably would still call this a Toss-up, which is how we have VA-2 rated under the existing map.”
The 1st District, which currently includes the Middle Peninsula as well as James City County, York County and Williamsburg, is unrecognizable from its current shape under the proposed map.
Republican Rob Wittman, who has represented the 1st District since 2007, lives in Westmorland County, which would be moved to the 8th District. Members of Congress are not legally required to live in the district they represent. Wittman, who did not say whether he would run again, condemned the new map, calling it an “extreme, hyper-partisan power grab.”
“You cannot condemn gerrymandering in other states and then attempt it here,” he said in a statement. “That principle does not change just because your party benefits.”
Democrat Don Beyer, the 8th District representative, said he would seek reelection under the proposed district.
“I am honored to have earned the trust of voters in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County and Falls Church over the years,” he said. “The 8th District in the proposed redistricting map, if adopted, would make significant changes to this district and to my constituency.
“I will work hard to earn the trust of Virginians from Arlington to Yorktown, to be an effective advocate for their interests, to defend the vulnerable, show up, listen, and offer top notch constituent services to everyone I represent.”
Henrico County prosecutor Shannon Taylor, a Democrat who is running for Congress, said if the proposed districts are approved, she will pivot her campaign from the 1st District to the 5th District.
Rep. Bobby Scott, a Democrat who represents the 3rd District, did not respond to a request for comment. His district would lose a portion of South Norfolk in Chesapeake but gain the city of Poquoson.
The House Appropriations Committee voted Friday to advance the caboose budget, the legislation that amends the existing biennial budget to fund the state through the end of fiscal 2026, which ends June 30.
One of the amendments to the caboose repeals the current congressional district map and implements instead the new one. The caboose budget takes effect upon the governor’s signature, which could happen in the next few weeks.
Spanberger did not say directly whether she would sign the current version of the map, but once the caboose bill lands on her desk, she’ll have seven days to sign, amend or veto it.
“I’m not going to get ahead of the legislature, but certainly I have spent some time looking at it, and now it’s up to the members of the General Assembly to put it forward to my desk,” she told reporters Friday morning. “But I have endeavored to be a partner to them, ensuring that any map they choose is one that can be implemented.
“And as that is the largest of the constraints for me, this map meets those parameters. And so if they choose to move forward with this one, then I don’t intend to stand in the way of that.”
Democrats have defended the redistricting effort in Virginia, saying it is necessary to counterbalance gains Republicans are making through redistricting elsewhere. Six states — California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Utah — have already redistricted mid-decade.
President Donald Trump urged Republican-led state legislatures to vote to draw new maps to pick up Republican seats in the U.S. House. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that states are redistricting at rates not seen since the 1800s.
In 2020, Virginia voters adopted a constitutional amendment that would leave redistricting every decade following the federal census to a bipartisan commission. On its first attempt to draw new lines, the commission was unable to reach a consensus, and the current congressional map was drawn by the Supreme Court of Virginia. Two-thirds of voters said yes to the redistricting commission, and though it hasn’t yet been successful, its popularity remains high.
A recent poll from Christopher Newport University found that 63% of Virginians support the bipartisan method of redistricting, compared with 51% who would support a redistricting constitutional amendment.
The Virginia Public Access Project details on its website whether voters’ district would change under the new proposal.
Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kate.seltzer@virginiamedia.com
