To borrow a phrase from the Left, what’s happening in Virginia is “not normal.” The corporate news media has largely lumped Democrats’ scheme to redraw the Old Dominion’s congressional boundaries in with mid-decade redistricting efforts in other states. But that narrative ignores key distinctions that should alarm every American who cares about honest and fair elections, regardless of party.
Back in 2020, Virginia voters went to the polls and chose to take redistricting out of the hands of politicians by passing a constitutional amendment creating the Virginia Redistricting Commission (VRC). The amendment passed with 65 percent support. It won majority support in every county except one.
The result following the 2020 census was a map that largely reflected the political makeup of the Commonwealth: five “safe” Democrat seats, four “safe” Republican seats, and two competitive seats. Currently, the split is six Democrats to five Republicans.
By any objective metric, that’s a fair map. Democrats have won most statewide races in Virginia in recent years, but only by small-to-moderate margins. Republicans consistently win 45-48 percent of the vote and, as Glenn Youngkin showed in 2021, they can still win statewide if the political conditions and candidate are right.
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