{"id":2568685,"date":"2026-02-11T09:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-redistricting-and-raw-political-power\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T09:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:42:15","slug":"virginia-redistricting-and-raw-political-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-redistricting-and-raw-political-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia redistricting and raw political power"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvirginia-redistricting-and-raw-political-power%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2568685&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article examines Virginia\u2019s provocative proposed congressional map, drawn by democrats, which could tilt the state\u2019s delegation to as many as 10-1 in their favor, despite Virginia voters still showing ample Republican strength in some areas. It frames a broader fight over partisan power in redistricting, wiht conservatives split between viewing aggressive gerrymandering as unacceptable or as a prudent strategy, and with blue states countering GOP gains elsewhere (e.g., California and Maryland) while some Republican-leaning states pursue their own redistricting efforts. The piece also situates these maps within a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >wider national context<\/a>, noting President Trump\u2019s push for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-redistricting-lawsuit-could-cost-congressional-republicans-up-to-six-house-seats\/\" title=\"NY ... Lawsuit May Result in GOP Losing Six House Seats\">mid-decade redistricting<\/a> in Republican-led states to defend the GOP\u2019s House majority, contrasted with mixed receptions in others like Indiana. beyond maps, it touches on debates over the Senate filibuster and other partisan battles, illustrating how redistricting has become a central arena for questions about how political power is drawn and exercised in the United States.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Virginia redistricting and raw political power<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2497277\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/virginia\/\">Virginia<\/a>&rsquo;s proposed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4447522\/virginia-democrats-agree-new-congressional-map-gives-republicans-one-seat\/\">new congressional map<\/a>, which gives Democrats all but one seat in a state that still votes more than 40% Republican, is sparking new debates over the proper use of political power.<\/p>\n<p>Conservatives in particular are split over whether Virginia Democrats&rsquo; aggressive gerrymander is an abomination to be condemned or an example red states should follow ahead of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-elections\/\">2026 midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4453155\/tom-malinowski-vows-oppose-candidate-endorsed-aipac\/\">New Jersey Democratic primary runner-up vows to oppose any candidate endorsed by AIPAC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4452537\/tom-malinowski-cedes-new-jersey-special-primary-election-analilia-mejia\/\">Tom Malinowski concedes New Jersey primary election to Analilia Mejia<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4452255\/susan-collins-announces-maine-senate-reelection-campaign\/\">Susan Collins announces Senate reelection campaign<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> urged <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3760382\/texas-redistricting-is-what-democracy-looks-like\/\">Republican-led states such as Texas <\/a>to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4449079\/redistrict-court-battles-where-things-stand\/\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-does-the-process-of-redistricting-look-like\/\" title=\"What does the process of ... look like?\">pursue mid-decade redistricting<\/a><\/a> to help the GOP defend its razor-thin House majority by creating new pickup opportunities for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-taking-regeneron-drug-remdesivir-therapy-for-coronavirus-diagnosis-ex-wh-doctor-explains\/\" title=\"... taking Regeneron drug, Remdesivir therapy for coronavirus diagnosis: ex-WH doctor explains\">president&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s party. Some red states heeded Trump&rsquo;s call. Others, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/4434261\/indiana-republicans-modeled-off-ramp-redistricting-wars-democrats-rejecting\/\">like Indiana<\/a>, demurred.<\/p>\n<p>But blue states have answered with redistricting pushes of their own. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\">California<\/a> voters approved a map backed by Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\">Gavin Newsom<\/a> (D-CA), a likely 2028 presidential candidate, to counter any Republican gains in Texas. Maryland Democrats&rsquo; new map could erase the state&rsquo;s last Republican-held House seat.<\/p>\n<p>Nowhere has been quite as audacious or lopsided as Virginia. If approved by voters and allowed by the courts, the commonwealth&rsquo;s congressional map could be up to 10-1 Democratic.<\/p>\n<p>All of Virginia&rsquo;s statewide elected executive officers, including the governor, were Republicans as recently as mid-January. (Democrats swept the off-year elections in Virginia last November.) Former Vice President Kamala Harris won just 51.8% of the vote against Trump there in 2024. Large swathes of the state south of the Washington, D.C., suburbs remain heavily Republican. The current split in the Virginia congressional delegation is just 6-5 Democratic, though both senators are Democrats. Virginians haven&rsquo;t elected a Republican to the upper chamber since George Allen in 2000.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the merits of the individual state maps in question or partisan gerrymandering in principle, however, conservatives are debating whether this is a prudent use of political power.<\/p>\n<p>Some conservatives would like to see Republican-led states be as ruthless in pursuing partisan advantages in the drawing of congressional maps as they legally can be, precisely because Democrats have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/4443467\/democrats-census-illegal-immigration\/\">shown little hesitation<\/a> in wielding such political power themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Many blue states were arguably already more gerrymandered than their Republican counterparts before the current <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3500802\/gavin-gerrymander-gamble\/\">redistricting wars started<\/a>. In California, Democrats held 82% of congressional seats in a state Harris won with 59% of the vote, while Republicans occupied 66% of Texas&rsquo;s congressional seats in a state where Trump received 56% of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>If the redistricting fight doesn&rsquo;t end up benefiting Republicans this November, many conservatives will maintain that Trump shouldn&rsquo;t have picked this battle in the first place. Others will say that Republicans in Indiana should have defended their constituents&rsquo; political interests with the same vigor as Democrats in California and Virginia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Trump just caught up &hellip; to what the Democrats are doing,&rdquo; Terry Kilgore, the top Republican in Virginia&rsquo;s House of Delegates, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2026\/02\/10\/virginia-redistricting-spanberger-trump-map\/\">told reporters<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The New Right, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3383982\/the-new-right-issues-key-players-trump-vance\/\">ascendant under Trump<\/a>, has applied this logic to other political questions. Many of these conservatives support Trump&rsquo;s push to eliminate or sharply curtail the Senate filibuster on the grounds that it would help Republicans legislate now, even if Democrats would likely follow suit the same next time they hold a majority in the chamber.<\/p>\n<p>Only former centrist Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema kept the Democrats&rsquo; last Senate majority from junking the filibuster, which effectively creates a 60-vote majority threshold for passing most legislation, and they are both gone. Other conservatives, such as retiring Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mitch-mcconnell\/\">Mitch McConnell<\/a> (R-KY), the longtime GOP floor leader in the Senate, have argued that this is a shortsighted move that would allow Democrats to enact their full liberal wishlist the next time they enjoy unified control of the federal government.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has long contended that Republicans aren&rsquo;t as willing to fight as their political opponents, an assertion that has endeared him to the party&rsquo;s base for the past decade.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;ll [Democrats] find a reason to impeach me,&rdquo; Trump warned House Republicans at their members&rsquo; retreat last month. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t impeach them. You know why? Because they&rsquo;re meaner than we are. We should have impeached Joe Biden for 100 different things.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4451912\/save-america-act-house-immigration\/\"><strong>REPUBLICANS LOOK TO USHER THROUGH VOTER ID LEGISLATION FOR THIRD TIME WITH SAVE AMERICA ACT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trump would undoubtedly say the same thing about the Justice Department&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4453576\/grand-jury-indictment-seditious-six-illegal-orders\/\">failed attempt to indict<\/a> six &ldquo;seditious&rdquo; Democratic senators, while pointing to his own multiple indictments by prosecutors aligned with or appointed by Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What&rsquo;s good for the elephant is good for the good for the donkey&rdquo; has replaced <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/what%27s%20good%20for%20the%20goose%20is%20good%20for%20the%20gander\">the old saying<\/a> about the goose and the gander.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Va. map fuels power-use debate; conservatives divided<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2568686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2256791372.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[6571,22850,73571,16985,5468],"class_list":["post-2568685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-elections","tag-gerrymandering","tag-political-power-2","tag-redistricting","tag-virginia"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2256791372.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2568685"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2568689,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568685\/revisions\/2568689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2568686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2568685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2568685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2568685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}