Virginia leaders weigh in on results of redistricting referendum

VA — Virginia leaders and legislators are sharing their support or opposition after voters approved a Democrat-backed measure to allow for mid-decade redistricting.

The move by Virginia state Democrats to redraw the congressional maps follows similar efforts in Republican-led states like Texas and North Carolina, where redrawn districts favored the GOP.

Many Democratic leaders supported the redistricting efforts, with Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Attorney General Jay Jones and Rep. Bobby Scott among the masses.

Watch previous coverage: Virginia Supreme Court rules redistricting referendum can proceed to April vote

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said the results of this referendum is a counterbalance to President Donald Trump's request to state lawmakers to add GOP seats to the House of Representatives:

“Virginia voters have spoken, and tonight they approved a temporary measure to push back against a President who claims he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress. Virginians watched other states go along with those demands without voter input — and we refused to let that stand. We responded the right way: at the ballot box.

“I understand the urgency of winning congressional seats as a check on this President, and I look forward to campaigning with candidates across the Commonwealth working to earn Virginians’ trust — and their votes. Looking forward, I remain committed to ensuring Virginia's bipartisan redistricting commission gets back to work after the 2030 census, and to protecting the process Virginians voted to create."

Rep. Bobby Scott called the referendum a "necessary response."

“Since then, Republicans have continued their mid-decade redistricting in Texas, Missouri, Ohio, and again in North Carolina, and have a special legislative session already scheduled in Florida."

"They may also try in Louisiana and Alabama. There is no way anyone should have expected Democrats to sit idly by as Trump and MAGA Republicans participate in an unprecedented power grab. Virginians have spoken clearly in favor of preserving fair elections this fall.”

Attorney General Jay Jones wrote, "The people of the Commonwealth showed up at the polls and voted in support of the constitutional amendment. I want to thank the dedicated election officials and volunteers for their tireless commitment and service to administering fair and secure elections in our Commonwealth. My office stands ready to defend the will of the voters and enforce our laws.”

In a post on X, former President Barack Obama congratulated Virginians for fighting back against Republican efforts to gain more seats ahead of the midterm elections.

"Congratulations, Virginia! Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back."

Watch previous coverage: Virginia votes to give Democrats potential four-seat pick-up in Congress as redistricting measure passes

Republican leadership has spoken out against the redistricting referendum since the Democratic state legislators passed the proposed map that gave Democratics a 10-1 advantage.

President Donald Trump claimed the election was "rigged" in a post on Truth Social, in a similar fashion to his rejection of previous elections where Democrats beat out Republicans.

"A RIGGED ELECTION TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT IN THE GREAT COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA! All day long Republicans were winning, the Spirit was unbelievable, until the very end when, of course, there was a massive “Mail In Ballot Drop!” Where have I heard that before — And the Democrats eked out another Crooked Victory! Six to five goes to ten to one, and yet the Presidential Election in November was very close to a 50-50 split. In addition to everything else, the language on the Referendum was purposefully unintelligible and deceptive. As everyone knows, I am an extraordinarily brilliant person, and even I had no idea what the hell they were talking about in the Referendum, and neither do they! Let’s see if the Courts will fix this travesty of 'Justice.'"

Virginia House GOP Leader Terry Kilgore conceded the results in a statement sent to News 3. Like Trump, he pointed to the ongoing legal proceedings against the referendum.

“While these weren’t the results we were hoping for, they were not unexpected. From the start, this process was tilted: misleading ballot language and a massive spending advantage made this an uphill climb for voters trying to make sense of a deeply complicated issue."

"But the ballot box was never the final word here. Serious legal questions remain about both the wording of this referendum and the process used to put it before voters. Those questions have not been resolved, and they now move where they belong: to the courts."

In a statement sent to News 3, Rep. Jen Kiggans said that the new map has "eliminated" the voices and values of conservative voters.

"Today is a sad day for our Commonwealth. Political gerrymandering is wrong, period. Every Virginian, regardless of political affiliation, deserves a fair voice in our federal government.

"Under these newly drawn districts and the partisan leadership of Abigail Spanberger, conservative voices and values have been eliminated. That’s not leadership, it’s a disservice to the principles of fair representation that define our country.

"But the fight is far from over. My mission remains to hold leaders accountable, to serve the people who elected me, and to once again win the vote in Virginia’s Second Congressional District this November, delivering the commonsense, balanced representation our Commonwealth deserves."

Like other Republican leadership, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for the state Supreme Court to rule against the election results in order to protect Virginia voters that have had their districts shifted.

"Thank you to all the voters who turned out to vote against this egregious power grab. The race was much closer than the left expected because Virginians know a 10-1 map is not Virginia. I urge the Virginia Supreme Court to rule against this unconstitutional process that will disenfranchise millions of Virginians."

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson echoed the notion that Virginia is a purple state that benefits from bipartisan representation.

"Virginia Democrats can't redraw reality. This close margin reinforces that Virginia is a purple state that shouldn’t be represented by a severe partisan gerrymander. That’s exactly why the courts, who have already ruled twice to block this egregious power grab, should uphold Virginia law. Even under this map, Republicans will hold our majority based on our record cleaning up Democrats’ mess and a historic war chest to litigate the Democrats’ failures."

In February, a judge in Tazewell County ruled that the redistricting push was illegal for multiple reasons. However, the Supreme Court of Virginia agreed to let the vote happen before making a final ruling.

If the state Supreme Court agrees with the lower court, the results from Tuesday's vote could be rendered moot.