Top Democrat vows to take Florida next after Virginia redistricting shocks Republicans: ‘Maximum warfare’
On Tuesday evening, Democrats earned a key win when Virginians narrowly voted to allow a mid-cycle redistricting effort. This will allow Democrats to redraw the congressional maps to create 10 districts favorable to Democrats and one favorable to Republicans, compared to the current 6-5 split.
This is the second time voters have decided to allow a one-time redraw of a congressional map typically decided by a nonpartisan board.
The decision in Virginia was a narrow one, passing by a little less than three points, much narrower than the almost 30-point victory for Proposition 50 in California and far lower than Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s 15-point margin in November. Despite its blue tint, Virginia maintains a moderate bend.
Nevertheless, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spiked the football.
“We won Prop 50 in California, reclaimed a seat in Utah, pushed back extremists in Ohio and halted toxic GOP efforts in Indiana, New Hampshire, Nebraska and Kansas,” Jeffries said.
But he also issued a warning shot — right in Trump’s backyard.
“If Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime pick-up opportunities for Democrats, just as they did with Trump’s dummymander in Texas,” Jeffries posted, and warned: “We will aggressively target for defeat Mario Díaz-Balart, Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos Giménez, Kat Cammack, Anna Paulina Luna, Laurel Lee, Cory Mills and Brian Mast. We are prepared to take them all on, and we are prepared to win.
“Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”
So how did we get here? Well, last year, California passed Proposition 50 to do the same, after President Donald Trump pressured Texas, Missouri and North Carolina to redraw their congressional maps. Trump did so in hopes of keeping the House of Representatives under Republican control after the midterm elections this November.
That led California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a likely candidate for president, to say Democrats would “meet fire with fire” with redistricting and promote his ballot initiative to allow for five new Democratic-leaning seats.
The Virginia decision Tuesday reveals that Trump’s attempts to insulate himself from the typical cycles where the opposite party takes over the House of Representatives in a midterm backfired tremendously. Democrats for years have adopted nonpartisan redistricting boards in an attempt to end gerrymandering. But Trump poking the bear can make even mild-mannered states push back.
Unsurprisingly, Trump groused about the result and claimed it was not legitimate.
“A RIGGED ELECTION TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT IN THE GREAT COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA!” he yelled Wednesday afternoon with no evidence to support the claim.
“I’m looking forward to running in the 10th district, but people are fed up with this administration,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia told The Independent.
