Virginia Supreme Court Kills Democrats’ Redistricting Plan, Erasing GOP-Backed Advantage

The Virginia Supreme Court struck down a Democratic congressional redistricting plan that had won voter approval, invalidating a referendum that could have helped Democrats win up to four additional U.S. House seats.

“Virginia Democrats’ redistricting push was meant to lock in an advantage”

Fox News

The court’s 4-3 decision on Friday ruled the plan invalid because state lawmakers violated procedural requirements when referring it to the ballot, and CBS 6 political analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth said, "They basically said that the Democrats did not follow the process."

Fox News

Holsworth said the court determined the legislature had to vote to put the referendum on the ballot prior to an election, adding that "in 2025 the election was already taking place because there was early voting."

He said Democrats had drawn the new map "thinking they would have a 10 to 1 advantage," but "that advantage has been erased," with Democrats holding a 6-5 majority in the state’s congressional delegation.

Despite the setback, Holsworth predicted Democrats will still gain ground, saying, "I still think the Democrats are likely, barring some changes in the political atmosphere, to pick up at least one seat and potentially be competitive for a second."

In response to the court defeat, Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said in a statement to The Hill, "Violating the Virginia Constitution and bypassing the rule of law to further one’s own political power is wrong."

The Fox News account described a growing blame game inside the Democratic Party after the 4–3 ruling forced a redraw, and it said Democrats are left arguing over whether party leaders ignored legal warnings.

NBC4 Washington

Fox News Digital quoted Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., saying, "I feel like the system is fundamentally broken, but let’s be clear. Republicans began the redistricting arms race," and it also quoted Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, saying, "But because we don’t live in that world, we’ve got to fight fire with fire."

Fox News Digital also quoted Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, saying, "I put this all on Democrats," arguing the party failed to respond forcefully to earlier GOP redistricting efforts.

The Fox News report tied the fallout to a federal raid on May 6 on the office of a powerful state senator and said former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder suggested the turmoil could give Spanberger an opening to reset and impose discipline.

WTVR said the Virginia ruling, combined with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that severely weakened the Voting Rights Act, intensified the nationwide redistricting battle and made it "much tougher for the Democrats to take the House."

Holsworth said the decision dramatically alters Virginia’s political landscape and highlighted a contrast between Democratic and Republican approaches, saying Republican states "are now redistricting largely to eliminate African American seats in the South."

The Fox News report said the episode underscores the growing role of courts in redistricting fights and the risks of pushing legal boundaries in a high-stakes environment with potential implications for control of Virginia’s congressional delegation.

It also said the narrow 4–3 decision came with a steep price, describing "roughly $70 million" and "much of Spanberger’s political capital" spent on a campaign that won the battle but lost the war.

Fox News further described Democrats as needing to sort out "not just what went wrong—but who’s responsible," as the party faces a redraw after the court invalidated the referendum-backed plan.