WASHINGTON — Both political parties in Virginia are invoking former President Barack Obama’s name as they battle over congressional redistricting ahead of Tuesday’s crucial statewide referendum.
The high-stakes campaign centers on whether Virginia should redraw its congressional boundaries before November’s midterm elections. The outcome could significantly impact which party gains control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Obama, who previously opposed gerrymandering practices, now supports Virginia Democrats’ push to let the state legislature create new congressional districts. This move could potentially add four Democratic seats to Congress, countering similar Republican redistricting efforts in Texas and other states under President Trump’s direction.
His current stance demonstrates how dramatically Democrats have changed their approach to redistricting following extensive Republican-led efforts to redraw congressional maps nationwide. However, GOP groups are banking on Obama’s earlier statements to influence Virginia voters.
Two Republican organizations are running television and radio advertisements featuring 2017 video of Obama criticizing gerrymandering for creating political divisions that make it “harder and harder to find common ground.” These ads encourage Virginians to reject the redistricting proposal.
Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine characterized the Republican use of Obama’s previous comments as a sign of desperation. “They wouldn’t be lying about Obama’s position if they weren’t desperate and worried,” Kaine stated.
Polling data indicates supporters of the redistricting measure hold a slight lead among likely voters. Virginia’s Department of Elections reports that over one million residents have already cast early ballots.
If approved, the new congressional boundaries would stay in effect through the 2030 census.
Obama has become a central figure in campaign materials from both sides, potentially creating voter confusion through competing messages from groups with similar-sounding names.
The former president has clearly endorsed the referendum in a television advertisement, saying: “Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years, but you can stop them by voting yes by April 21.”
Opposition groups Virginians for Fair Maps, which has collected nearly $20 million, and Justice for Democracy PAC, backed by almost $9 million from conservative nonprofit Per Aspera Policy Incorporated, are featuring Obama’s 2017 University of Chicago remarks in their advertisements.
“Our president, Barack Obama, knows that partisan gerrymandering is wrong for our democracy. Listen to his words,” states a narrator in one Justice for Democracy radio spot.
Virginia Republican Representative Jen Kiggans defended the strategy of using Democrats’ previous statements, noting this is a tactic both parties would employ. “When you put those words in the public sphere, as a politician, they still exist,” she explained. “They don’t go away just because you’ve changed your viewpoint.”
Virginia’s current congressional delegation includes six Democrats and five Republicans. The proposed redistricting would create a 10-1 Democratic advantage in a state that leans Democratic at the federal level.
These four additional Virginia seats could be sufficient to give Democrats House control during Trump’s final two years in office, amid ongoing redistricting battles across multiple states.
The redistricting conflict began last year in Texas, where Republicans created new maps at Trump’s request designed to add up to five GOP congressional seats. California has responded with its own referendum that could yield similar Democratic gains.
Additional states including Ohio, Missouri, and North Carolina have modified their maps to benefit Republicans, while Florida may consider new boundaries next week.
“If this does not pass, Republicans could gerrymander in all the red states and hang on to the majority and continue to rubber-stamp President Trump,” warned Virginia Democratic Representative Suhas Subramanyam.
Virginia Republicans have condemned the proposed map as an unfair redistricting that would deny proper representation to half the state and limit constituents’ access to federal services. Democrats have raised similar concerns in states where redistricting has favored Republicans.
Republican Representative Ben Cline of Virginia avoided commenting on GOP use of Obama in advertisements but criticized Democrats for making the state election a national issue. “Enlisting national Democrats to try and push this egregious political hackery through next Tuesday is going to backfire,” Cline said. “Republicans and independents and moderate Democrats are voting no, and we’re going to defeat it on Tuesday.”
While Obama’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment, the former president has reinforced his current position through Democratic campaign materials. “We can’t afford two more years of unchecked power and zero accountability in Washington,” Obama states in a Virginians for Fair Elections radio advertisement. “Help us chart a better path forward, Virginia.”
