The Virginia Supreme Court delivered a major setback for Democrats on Friday when it struck down the newly drawn congressional districts meant to help Democrats in the midterms.
Virginia voters approved a referendum to redraw the state’s map just last month in response to Republicans rushing to gerrymander in red states across the country at the behest of President Donald Trump.
But the state’s highest court ruled in a split 4 to 3 decision that focused on a technicality that the process violated Virginia’s Constitution and nullified the new districts. Trump immediately hailed the move as a win for Republicans.
“Huge win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia. The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the ruling.
The new maps would have allowed Democrats to pick up as many as four additional seats in the state, giving them 10 of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts.
Democrats moved to put the issue before voters in the state in April after Republicans sought to redraw districts last summer in Texas and have since moved to give Republicans a further advantage in multiple GOP-controlled states.
Just this week, Tennessee Republicans moved to eliminate the one district represented by a Democrat in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Louisiana congressional maps in another blow to Democrats. Under the new Tennessee maps, Republicans will likely win all nine seats in the state.
Democrats in California and Virginia responded to the president’s unprecedented mid-decade redistricting effort with their own gerrymandering pushes after first putting the question to voters.
Virginia voters narrowly approved the constitutional amendment in April, with 51.6 percent backing the redistricting to 48.3 percent against it.
Trump immediately freaked out and accused Democrats of trying to rig the midterms by following his lead as Republicans rushed to challenge it in court.
The group behind the referendum push blasted the court’s decision in a statement on Friday.
“Over three million Virginians participated in a free and fair election. They showed up in historic numbers, followed the rules, and made a clear decision at the ballot box. And today, the Supreme Court of Virginia decided these votes will not count,” said Virginians for Fair Elections.
The group vowed that the fight was not over. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also said that Democrats were exploring options to overturn the decision and insisted Democrats will still win back the House in November.
Other Democratic Party leaders warned that MAGA had “rigged” the system ahead of the midterms without going to voters to approve their changes.
“No vote in Tennessee (+1 GOP) No vote in Florida (+4 GOP) No vote in Missouri (+1 GOP)No vote in North Carolina (+2 GOP)No vote in Texas (+5 GOP) Virginia’s voter-approved maps thrown out,” wrote Gov. Gavin Newsom. “MAGA has rigged the system.”
