Virginia Democrats Unveil Map Favoring 10 of 11 Districts

Virginia Democrats unveiled a proposed congressional redistricting map on Thursday that would favor their party in 10 of the state's 11 U.S. House districts, potentially adding four seats to their current six-member delegation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The plan, released by legislative leaders in Richmond, comes amid a national wave of partisan map-drawing efforts and faces immediate legal obstacles after a state judge blocked the underlying constitutional amendment.

The proposal aims to redraw boundaries in response to similar actions by Republicans in states like Texas, North Carolina, Missouri and Ohio, where new maps have created nine additional districts that lean toward the GOP. Democratic leaders described the Virginia effort as a temporary countermeasure to preserve balance in the U.S. House, where Republicans currently hold a slim majority. The state's existing map, drawn by a court after a bipartisan commission deadlocked following the 2020 census, splits the delegation 6-5 in favor of Democrats.

Under the new boundaries, only the 9th District in southwestern Virginia along the mountainous border would remain solidly Republican, based on recent election...