Virginia GOP on the Front Lines to ‘Keep Fairness’ in House District Maps 

Today, Virginians are flocking to the polls to vote on whether to amend the Virginia Constitution and let the state Legislature redraw the state’s congressional maps.

The map state Democrats have proposed would give their party a 10-1 seat advantage, likely leaving just one Republican to represent the historically purple state.

The Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives could be on the line. Four Virginia Republicans could be out of a job, and nearly half of Virginia could lose accurate representation in Washington.

GOP Is Hopeful

“People deserve to have representation in Congress that reflects their political ideologies, and right now we have that,” Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., told The Daily Signal, referencing the current 6-5 congressional map in Virginia.

All five Virginia Republicans are home in their districts today—at polls, knocking on doors, and talking to voters.

“We have spent time, we’ve spent money, we’ve spent energy educating voters about these gerrymandered maps. We’re optimistic that voters are going to reject them,” Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., said.

“I think that we can win this, and especially since … we know historically that on voting day is when we have strong Republican turnout,” Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., said.

Kiggans, who represents Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, said the GOP has done its work to inform voters and motivate them to get out to the polls.

“Republicans are much more organized this time,” she said. “I think we learned some important lessons last November that we are applying now.”

She described voters as having a lot of energy about this election, and added, “I absolutely think the momentum is on our side.”

Rep. Morgan Griffith is the only Virginia Republican whose district is predicted to stay red. He told The Daily Signal he believes all of the hard work will “bear fruit for Republicans tonight, because all we have to do is show people the map and give them the facts.”

Is This ‘Restoring Fairness’?

A recent poll from Heritage Action showed that close to 50% of Virginia voters were confused by the language on the ballot, which asks whether they want to “restore fairness.” A “Yes” vote will allow the Democrats to change the maps, while a “No” vote would keep the status quo.

“Going from a 6-5 delegation to a 10-1 delegation redistricting? That disenfranchises 2 million voters in Virginia, disenfranchises rural Virginia, and is completely opposed to what would be fair,” Wittman told The Daily Signal. “They say it restores fairness. It actually destroys fairness.”

Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., said he thinks the wording on the ballot contains “leading language” and is “illegal.”

Cline agrees the ballot is misleading, which is why he joined a lawsuit to nullify the election.

“That’s why I’m a plaintiff in a lawsuit to challenge the wording of the ballot,” he told The Daily Signal. “The Virginia Supreme Court decided to wait until after the election to hear the case on whether this language is legal.”

“Shame on the Supreme Court,” Kiggans said. “It’s extremely biased.”

Griffith said he’s still hopeful the state Supreme Court will strike the language, calling it “very confusing.”

Democrats Have Spent Millions

This April election has had massive influence from Democrats nationwide. The party has spent nearly $100 million on the effort to redraw the maps, while Republicans have spent less than a third of that.

“The amount of money that’s been spent on this election alone should make a statement to everyone about the importance of what’s going on in Virginia,” Kiggans said.

Wittman said this spending makes sense given what he described as misleading claims Democrats are promoting.

Newly elected Gov. Abigail Spanberger has given her all to support the redistricting effort—a shift from what she said during her campaign.

“She lied in the fall of last year when she looked directly at a camera and said she had no intention to gerrymander Virginia, then turned around in January and made that a top priority—so her credibility is shot. Nobody is believing anything she’s saying,” Kiggans said.

“It’s like she doesn’t care about the people she represents,” McGuire said, calling the governor “drunk with power.”

“She’s out of touch with Virginians, and I hope that Virginians—regardless of race, party, religion, or creed—send a loud message that we don’t agree with her radical leftist, anti-American policies,” McGuire concluded.

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