{"id":318,"date":"2026-06-06T12:06:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T12:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318"},"modified":"2026-06-06T12:06:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T12:06:25","slug":"how-virginia-democrats-are-coping-with-their-redistricting-defeat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318","title":{"rendered":"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Virginia\u2019s plan to redraw its congressional maps to create as many as four new Democratic seats is dead, struck down by the state supreme court. Its impact on Virginia politics, though, is still being felt \u2014 and nowhere more visibly than in Virginia\u2019s First District.<\/p>\n

Read more A flesh-eating parasite has arrived in the US. Can we stop it?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The district, which covers much of Virginia\u2019s coastline and includes parts of the Richmond suburbs, is one of the few in the country that is actually competitive, and it\u2019s been thrown into chaos due to the ongoing gerrymandering wars that have consumed the 2026 midterm cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

To learn more, I traveled there last month for the latest episode of Vox\u2019s video podcast, America, Actually<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Originally, Virginians voted to redraw their maps to be more favorable to Democrats in response to Republican efforts to do the same in Missouri, Texas, and elsewhere. But a court effort threw out that result, restoring the state\u2019s original maps and sowing uncertainty for candidates and volunteers who had been advocating for the change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Even more, Virginia has become a place where the underlying tensions in the gerrymandering battle have begun to bubble up to the surface. Newly elected Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger\u2019s approval rating has taken a hit since endorsing the Democrats\u2019 campaign to draw new maps, and she recently admonished House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries against pursuing his \u201cmaximum warfare, everywhere, all the time\u201d strategy when it comes to redistricting. (The phrase, as Jeffries has noted, isn\u2019t original to him: It\u2019s also how the Trump camp described its own redistricting efforts.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cIt is outrageously premature of us to be talking about any sort of redistricting or map changing effort when we have to win the most consequential midterms of my lifetime this November,\u201d Spanberger told the New York Times in May.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

On our trip to Virginia\u2019s First District, America, Actually<\/em> spoke with Democratic volunteers who had organized for the referendum and were now pivoting to selecting a primary candidate. We also attended a candidate forum at the Libbie Mill Library in Richmond, Virginia, where several candidates vying to be the Democratic nominee in the district made their pitches to voters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

At events like this, it\u2019s easier to see how the party\u2019s message for the midterms is taking shape. Here are three takeaways:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

1) Redistricting exhaustion is real<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

I understand the pickle Spanberger is in. Democrats organized, knocked doors, and convinced voters to embrace a redistricting effort that many people were uncomfortable with \u2014 and then watched a court erase it. Katie Sitterson, an Indivisible Virginia volunteer we talked to in Virginia\u2019s First, described the morale hit as taking \u201cthe air out of your sails.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

When I asked whether it had dampened volunteer enthusiasm, she put it bluntly: \u201cPeople start to feel like, \u2018What does it matter?\u2019 I tried, and we\u2019re doing all these things, and we even voted, and we used our voice, and it still didn\u2019t work.\u201d She said the reversal confirms the exact \u201clack of agency\u201d voters already feel \u2014 and makes it that much harder to keep people in the fight for a full year.<\/p>\n

Read more AI is ruining children\u2019s books<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I think that explains some of Spanberger\u2019s resistance to Jeffries\u2019 strategy. The \u201call warfare, all the time\u201d move is something that excites the base \u2014 valuable in a midterm or national primary. Picking and choosing your spots to expend political capital is more important in purple areas like Virginia\u2019s First or in statewide elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

2) \u201cWoke\u201d isn\u2019t dead<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

The short period where Democrats leaned into social justice language during the 2020 election seems to have passed. But at the Indivisible candidate forum in Richmond, there were lots of medical masks being worn, an open embrace of identity politics, and candidates leaning in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI always say that joy is the best resistance we have,\u201d one candidate told attendees. \u201cHope is not a dirty word.\u201d Another introduced himself as \u201ca child of immigrants,\u201d and a third described herself as \u201cunapologetically progressive\u2026who doesn\u2019t take any corporate money.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

These days, \u201cwokeness\u201d has become sort of a punchline in elite Democratic circles, as more and more politicians run away from the progressive message of 2020. But those are values people legitimately believe in and will re-emerge as a point of tension in a national Democratic primary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

3) Democrats have a message<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

If \u201caffordability\u201d was the buzzword of the 2025 elections thanks to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, I think \u201ccorruption\u201d is emerging as the same thing for 2026, driven by a reaction to President Donald Trump\u2019s actions and elevated by leading national politicians like Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA). But what\u2019s most clear in these House races is that many candidates don\u2019t see affordability and corruption as separate issues, but as linked ideas. Basically: Things are getting more expensive for you as<\/em> Trump is grifting in the White House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Here\u2019s how Tim Cywinski, one of the Democrats running in Virginia\u2019s First, put it: \u201cFrom my experience with everyday people \u2014 Republican, Democrat, left, right, everyone between \u2014 it\u2019s all about affordability and corruption.\u201d He said the connection doesn\u2019t require explaining insider trading or crypto: \u201cYou don\u2019t have to know the nuances of the stock market. You just see that they are getting wealthier, while at the same time everybody else is getting\u2026it\u2019s harder to live. Life shouldn\u2019t be this unaffordable. And if you say, \u2018Yes, it\u2019s because of them, but also at the same time, they\u2019re enriching themselves,\u2019 that drives people crazy. And for them, it doesn\u2019t matter who they voted for in the last election.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

That sweet spot was Cywinski\u2019s focus \u2014 pointing out that prices are rising for most Americans as Trump puts a seeming \u201cfor-sale sign in front of the White House.\u201d Candidates think that contrast can not only motivate Democrats to turn out, but peel off enough independents and Trump voters to win a district like Virginia\u2019s First.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

As always, there\u2019s much more in the full show, so <\/em>listen to <\/em>America, Actually wherever you get your podcasts or watch it on <\/em>Vox\u2019s YouTube channel<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more The Trump White House keeps losing<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

See More:<\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
  • America, Actually<\/li>\n
  • Midterm Elections 2026<\/li>\n
  • Podcasts<\/li>\n
  • Politics<\/li>\n
  • Video<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Three takeaways from a key swing district in Virginia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat - American Living Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat - American Living Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Three takeaways from a key swing district in Virginia.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Living Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-06T12:06:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8\"},\"headline\":\"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-06T12:06:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318\"},\"wordCount\":1063,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/06ddc4d797d4440d7e9dd86d3b271f0e.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318\",\"name\":\"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat - American Living Report\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/06ddc4d797d4440d7e9dd86d3b271f0e.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-06T12:06:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/06ddc4d797d4440d7e9dd86d3b271f0e.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/06ddc4d797d4440d7e9dd86d3b271f0e.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":624},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=318#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Living Report\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat - American Living Report","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat - American Living Report","og_description":"Three takeaways from a key swing district in Virginia.","og_url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318","og_site_name":"American Living Report","article_published_time":"2026-06-06T12:06:25+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8"},"headline":"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat","datePublished":"2026-06-06T12:06:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318"},"wordCount":1063,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/06ddc4d797d4440d7e9dd86d3b271f0e.webp","articleSection":["Interesting"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318","url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318","name":"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat - American Living Report","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/06ddc4d797d4440d7e9dd86d3b271f0e.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-06T12:06:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/06ddc4d797d4440d7e9dd86d3b271f0e.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/06ddc4d797d4440d7e9dd86d3b271f0e.webp","width":1200,"height":624},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=318#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Virginia Democrats are coping with their redistricting defeat"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/","name":"American Living Report","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/americanlivingreport.com"],"url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}