Virginia Democrats look to decimate GOP seats in redistricting effort
But some Democrats warn that the effort may be more difficult than it looks.
By Brakkton Booker01/13/2026 07:23 PM EST
Virginia Democrats are launching their last big campaign in the redistricting wars this week — but big questions loom about whether they can agree on how to maximize benefits to their party and whether they can convince voters to support their power grab.
On Wednesday, the Virginia Legislature kicks off its first session since Democrats won unified control of the commonwealth in last November’s elections. A persistent divide has emerged however, between Democrats who hope to draw an aggressive gerrymander that could deliver them 10 of the state’s 11 congressional seats — a four-seat grab for their side that would wipe out all but one GOP congressional district — and those who want to take a more subtle approach to offsetting GOP gerrymanders elsewhere.
“It will be a real debate. I mean, we want to get as much as we can, but we also want the referendum to pass,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) told POLITICO Tuesday afternoon, adding that an expected Supreme Court decision this year on the Voting Rights Act could ultimately give Republicans more seats.
“[Democrats] basically have voting rights act seats in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana,” he said. “They could all be gone, right? So that’s a great concern. So it’s essential in Virginia that we look at the fairness argument from a national perspective, not just the Commonwealth.”
Virginia’s current congressional delegation has six Democrats and five Republicans, so under the new maps Democrats would likely pick up three or four seats.
more
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/13/virginia-redistricting-democrats-republicans-seats-00723660
