Democrats boost midterm edge with Virginia redistricting win: 5 takeaways
thehill.com

... Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a mid-decade redistricting plan that could help Democrats win four more House seats ahead of the November midterms

Voters in the Old Dominion approved a temporary amendment to the state constitution allowing Democrats to draw new congressional lines favoring the party in all but one of its 11 House districts. Democrats currently hold a 6-5 edge, and the new map will hold until the process reverts back to a bipartisan redistricting commission after the 2030 Census. ...

The early vote looked slightly redder than what was seen in last year's general election in the state, signaling a potential path for the "no" campaign to win. The election day vote, though, wasn't red enough to secure a win.

Still, Republicans and anti-gerrymandering voices are touting "no"-vote turnout as a strong message of resistance to the Democrat-led plan.

"Even in defeat, this is a powerful message," said Brian Cannon, co-chair of the advisory council to the bipartisan group No Gerrymandering Virginia. "Despite being outspent by well over $60 million and facing biased ballot language, over a million Virginians stood up against a partisan power grab."

Richard Hudson, chairman of GOP's House campaign arm, also pointed to the tight margin, arguing it "reinforces that Virginia is a purple state that shouldn't be represented by a severe partisan gerrymander." ...

John Fetterman: Everyone loses' in Virginia redistricting approval
www.newsnationnow.com

... Virginia voters approving redistricting of congressional seats in the state leaves Sen. John Fetterman believing both the Democratic and Republican parties come out on the wrong end of it all.

"I get the logic of doing things, but overall, we all lose at this point," the Pennsylvania Democrat said during a "CUOMO" appearance Tuesday. "I mean, the wrong thing doesn't make it the right thing, but that's where we are."

The redrawn congressional districts in the state essentially give Democrats a 10-1 edge in the state's delegation.

"If we continue to just attack the other side, whether it's a red state or whether it's a blue state, our democracy is degraded," Fetterman added. "It should have never come to that, honestly. The people should pick the politicians."

"The politicians should never pick their politicians. And so for me, it's a lose. It was necessary based on what Texas decided to do, but overall, our democracy hurts through this."

Virginia is the latest state to redraw lines to give an advantage to one party. States such as Texas and Missouri have changed lines that benefit Republicans. California also redistricted, which could potentially give Democrats additional seats. Now, Virginia has done the same. ...