A campaign sign displays Virginia’s current and proposed electoral maps on a Republican volunteer table outside the polling place at the Burke Center Library on Saturday, April 18, 2026 in Burke, Virginia, USA.
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The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday invalidated the state’s recently passed redistricting referendum, dealing a major blow to Democrats who had hoped to pick up several seats with the new House map.
The redistricting ballot measure passed by a 3-point margin in late April and was seen at the time as a major victory for Democrats, who were on track to gain up to four seats from the redrawn maps ahead of the November midterm elections.
The Virginia Supreme Court’s decision comes amid an ongoing partisan gerrymandering war, with Republican-led states across the South grappling with redrawing their congressional districts in the wake of a pivotal Supreme Court ruling that weakened parts of the Voting Rights Act.
“We respect the courts, but we will continue to fight for a democracy where voters, not politicians, have the final say, because in Virginia, power still belongs to the people,” Democratic House of Representatives Chairman Don Scott said in a statement after the ruling.
President Donald Trump has called for more favorable maps for Republican-led states to maintain a slim House majority, and Democrats welcomed the decision while vowing to evaluate their options.
President Trump posted on Truth Social: “Big win for the Republican Party and America in Virginia. The Virginia Supreme Court just defeated the Democrats’ horrible gerrymandering. Let’s make America great again!”
The court ruled that the state proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow partisan gerrymandering in an “unprecedented manner.”
“This violation irrevocably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum and invalidates the vote,” Justice D. Arthur Kelsey wrote in the majority opinion.
The decision gives Republicans a decisive advantage in the redistricting battle and could nullify the Democratic advantage heading into the 2026 midterm elections. Without Virginia’s redistricting efforts, Republicans could give Democrats an advantage of as many as 12 seats in last year’s redistricting efforts, according to an analysis by Issue One, a nonpartisan group that aims to reduce the influence of money in politics.
“The Virginia Supreme Court affirmed what we have believed all along: the hastily imposed egregious gerrymandering was unconstitutional. This ruling is a victory for democracy and ensures Virginians have fair representation in Congress,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said in a post on X on Friday.
A citizen holds a “Democracy Takes Courage” sign during a special legislative session at the Tennessee State Capitol on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
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Virginia’s decision came less than 24 hours after Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed new maps that eliminated the state’s only Democratic district. Other Southern states, including Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina, have also taken steps to eliminate majority-minority Democratic-controlled districts after the U.S. Supreme Court hollowed out provisions of the Voting Rights Act, making instances of racial gerrymandering more difficult to prove.
Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat who represents the Tennessee district that will be removed, has vowed to sue over the new maps. And Democrats generally say they will continue the fight.
“This is a setback that sends a terrible message to the American people. The powerful and the elites will do everything in their power to silence you,” Rep. Susan DelBene, D-Wash., chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement Friday about the Virginia ruling. “House Democrats will not allow this to happen. Our democracy is founded on the belief that the people have the final say. In November, the people will do that and Democrats will have a House majority.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said in a statement that Democrats are “exploring all options to reverse this shocking decision.”
With legislative minorities in the House and Senate and Trump in the White House, Democrats are limited in what they can do, but they are pushing for legislation to modernize the Voting Rights Act and strengthen legal protections against discriminatory voting practices and policies.
Earlier this week, Jeffries also announced new Democratic efforts to advance New York redistricting, which would apply to elections as early as 2028.
“No matter what, House Democrats will win in November, and we can save this country from the extremism unleashed by Donald Trump and the Republican Party,” Jeffries said Friday.
