calling a special session Monday<\/a> to consider redrawing its congressional districts. The GOP\u2019s effort threatens to put Democrats at a steep disadvantage and has been raising pressure on party leaders to respond.<\/p>\nVirginia Democrats could swing as many as three of the state\u2019s 11 congressional seats away from Republicans.<\/p>\n
Democrats are working against a tight timeline to present voters with a new map. Under the state\u2019s constitution, a new amendment to create the lines has to be approved by consecutive sessions of the state legislature, with an election occurring in between the votes. That sets up a statewide referendum, which can\u2019t take place until at least 90 days after the amendment is passed, just two months before the state\u2019s primaries next year.<\/p>\n
The action in the Virginia General Assembly has scrambled the final days of the state\u2019s off-year election, topped with the high-profile gubernatorial contest. All members in the House of Delegates are on the ballot, and are being yanked off the campaign trail the week before the election as they head to Richmond to approve the amendment.<\/p>\n
Virginia Republicans have blasted their rivals\u2019 surprise push as undermining the will of voters.<\/p>\n
\u201cDemocrats in our General Assembly are calling this special session not to serve the people but to serve themselves,\u201d Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor, said in a press conference ahead of the special session. As lieutenant governor, Earle-Sears serves as presiding officer of the state Senate.<\/p>\n
In New York, the lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of residents argues the state\u2019s congressional map illegally dilutes Black and Latino voters. The district in question, which encompasses Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, is represented by GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who has been the focus of Democratic mapmakers since the start of the last redistricting cycle. The suit, brought by Elias Law Group, asks for a judge to chop off the moderate Brooklyn portion of the district, replacing it with deep blue portions of Lower Manhattan.<\/p>\n
A Democratic court victory leading to changes before 2026 would require quick movement. The trial level court has two months to issue a decision, said New York Law School\u2019s Jeff Wice. \u201cAnd then it would go through the appellate division challenge and then the Court of Appeals. So the clock is ticking on this case,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
New York GOP Chair Ed Cox said in a statement that the lawsuit \u201cis seeking a blatant racial gerrymander,\u201d and the current district \u201cis compact, respected communities of interest, and has been approved by both the courts and the State Legislature.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeffries\u2019 visit to Illinois coincided with the state General Assembly\u2019s fall session, which could take up the issue in the coming days. Those efforts face opposition from some of the state\u2019s Black leaders over concerns that a new map would dilute their influence across congressional districts.<\/p>\n
State Sen. Willie Preston, head of the Senate Black Caucus, said he would oppose any map that reduces Black political power. \u201cWe understand what\u2019s at stake, but if Black representation is going to be diluted, that\u2019s not a map I can support,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And in Colorado, Democrats may have another state to add to their gameplan.<\/p>\n
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is running for governor, is calling for Democrats to put forward a \u201cbreak glass in case of emergency\u201d ballot initiative in 2026 that would give the state Legislature the power to redraw its congressional map for 2028 and then return the reins to the Colorado’s independent redistricting commission. While Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who is term-limited, has shown no appetite for circumventing the commission, Weiser insisted there\u2019s a groundswell of support for doing so as more red states redistrict.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remain open and even modestly hopeful that other states will see the handwriting on the wall and we won’t have to go down this road,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if that’s not the case, we can’t deny reality. We have to be prepared to do our part.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lisa Kashinsky contributed reporting<\/p>\n