Virginia's governor once called gerrymandering an attack on democracy itself.
Now she's signing the most extreme partisan gerrymander in the country.
And Virginia Republicans are fighting to stop her before April 21.
Spanberger on Gerrymandering: What She Said Before She Took Office
Abigail Spanberger wasn't subtle about it.
In 2019, she posted on social media that "gerrymandering is detrimental to our democracy and it weakens the individual voices that form our electorates."
She called opposing gerrymandering "a bipartisan priority."
While running for governor in 2025, she went further: "Short answer is no. I have no plans to redistrict Virginia."
Voters believed her.
They elected her.
And then she picked up a pen.
On February 6, 2026, Spanberger signed legislation clearing the path for a constitutional amendment that would hand Virginia Democrats a 10-to-1 congressional advantage in a state currently split 6-to-5.
Virginia Senate President Louise Lucas summed up the Democrat position in six words: "We said 10-1 and we meant it."
Virginia Republicans had created an independent bipartisan redistricting commission in 2020 – approved by 66 percent of Virginia voters – specifically to end this kind of back-room dealing.
Spanberger had praised that commission.
Democrats had praised it.
Now they're trying to bypass it entirely.
Virginia Democrats Push 10-1 Gerrymander Despite Voters Saying No in 2020
Spanberger's team insists this is all Texas's fault.
Texas redistricted mid-decade in 2025 at President Trump's urging – adding Republican-leaning seats ahead of the midterms.
Democrats call Virginia's response "leveling the playing field."
That framing only works if you ignore a simple fact: the field was already level.
Independent experts awarded Virginia's current congressional maps among the highest fairness ratings in the country – drawn by nonpartisan specialists after the bipartisan commission deadlocked in 2021.
The proposed Democrat map would shred that.
The new districts slice Northern Virginia's Democratic strongholds into pieces and bolt them onto vast stretches of rural conservative territory – combining communities with nothing in common except a party chairman's spreadsheet.
Even Spanberger herself, before taking office, warned that such an extreme map could make existing Democrats vulnerable.
Virginia Redistricting April 21 Vote Faces Multiple Legal Challenges
The courts have noticed.
Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley ruled in January that Democrats violated state law in their rush to get this on the ballot – declaring the amendment process "void ab initio."
A higher court stayed that ruling and allowed the April 21 referendum to proceed.
But new legal challenges are multiplying.
A Bedford County lawsuit argues that Democrats also failed to meet a 1971 notice requirement – notifying county clerks 90 days before an election.
If that challenge succeeds, it could invalidate all four amendments Democrats bundled together: redistricting, abortion, marriage equality, and voting rights restoration.
Virginia Republican Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle put it plainly: "You cannot change the Constitution by ignoring the Constitution."
Rep. Ben Cline – who could see his own district swallowed by the new map – filed a lawsuit and wrote that Democrats put forward "a naked attempt to make it impossible for Republicans to win election to Congress in most places in Virginia."
What This Really Means
Here's what your Democrat friends won't say out loud.
National Democrats are not pretending this is about fairness.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has already wired $5 million to Virginia's "Yes" campaign and pledged to spend "whatever it takes."
This is a direct attempt to steal four U.S. House seats – seats Republicans currently hold – without winning a single vote in those districts.
Even Kamala Harris – who lost the 2024 presidential race – won less than 52 percent of Virginia's vote.
Under this map, Democrats would control 91 percent of Virginia's congressional seats.
That's not fairness.
That's not a response.
That is exactly what Abigail Spanberger told you gerrymandering was – in her own words, before she had the power to do it herself.
Early voting opened March 6 in Virginia.
If you live there, vote no on April 21.
Democrats are counting on you to forget what she said.
Sources:
- Charles Creitz, "Spanberger once blasted gerrymandering and now backs amendment critics say could erase Virginia GOP," Fox News, March 5, 2026.
- Ben Cline, "Democrats are rejecting voters to gerrymander our state," Fox News, March 2, 2026.
- Ben Cline, "Spanberger and Dems Lie About Gerrymandering Scheme," RealClearPolitics, February 26, 2026.
- Tim Murtaugh, "Spanberger, Virginia Democrats lie brazenly in rush to gerrymander," Washington Times, February 12, 2026.
- "Virginia redistricting amendment would shift four Republican-held congressional districts towards Democrats," Ballotpedia News, February 25, 2026.
