Virginia Democrats are responding after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled Thursday that the gerrymandered Texas legislative maps can be used, overruling a lower-court judge who previously said the Lone Star State cannot use the new maps.
Virginia’s Democratic leaders, who have the majority in both chambers of the General Assembly, seem emboldened now to continue their efforts at redrawing Virginia’s congressional boundaries.
Texas set off a redistricting war after President Donald Trump asked Republican states to redraw congressional districts to give them an upper hand.
Democratic states are responding by redrawing maps to give them more seats — Virginia included.
Democrats in Virginia began the process to amend the Constitution in October to allow them to redraw Virginia’s congressional boundaries ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, has repeatedly floated the possibility of taking away four of the five Republican congressional seats in the redraw. She continued to threaten it with a post on social media Thursday night in response to the Texas news.
“I will give a follow back to every person who I see tweet 10-1 tonight,” Lucas posted.
The amendment would allow Democrats in Virginia to make the change if other states redraw their maps first.
Both chambers of the General Assembly need to pass the amendment again before it goes to all Virginians for a referendum vote for final approval.
With the news breaking Thursday night that Texas will be allowed to move forward with the new maps, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, responded directly to the point when asked by Virginia Scope what this means.
“Full steam ahead,” Surovell said.
Speaker of the House Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, did not respond to a request for comment from Virginia Scope. In a fundraising email, however, Scott said he has to stand up to Trump and that he didn’t want to consider a new map with only one Republican district.
“We didn’t want to have to do this. But where I grew up, if a bully came and punched you in the mouth, you better punch back.”