Virginia lawmakers advanced a new congressional redistricting plan as part of the state budget bill, with Democratic leaders saying the map is intended to counter Republican-led redistricting efforts in other states ahead of the 2026 elections.
The House of Delegates approved amendments to the budget bill, HB29, that include a proposed congressional map, according to the Virginia Legislative Information System. The amendments were adopted on a 63–34 vote on Feb. 9, legislative records show.
Sen. Louise Lucas, a Democrat, said in a video posted to her social media that Virginia had reached what she called a “10–1 redistricting agreement,” which she described as an effort to “level the playing field.” In the video, Lucas said former President Donald Trump had urged Republican-controlled states to seek additional congressional seats.
“We made a promise to level the playing field, and today we’re keeping our promise,” Lucas said in the video posted on her social media account.
Virginia has reached a 10-1 redistricting agreement. This moment reflects commitment to fair representation for communities across the Commonwealth and our nation. pic.twitter.com/lqS9IuwJzr
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) February 5, 2026
House Speaker Don Scott, also a Democrat, echoed those remarks, saying Republicans were drawing maps in other states to gain an advantage in future elections.
“Across the country, Republicans are gerrymandering maps to override the will of the voters,” Scott said in the same video. “At Donald Trump’s direction, they’re manipulating election maps because they know they can’t win on their agenda in 2026.”
Scott said the proposed map would be released publicly for debate and review. “We’re going to leave it up to Virginia voters,” he said.
The congressional map is included in HB29, the state’s budget bill, which amends prior appropriations law and contains links to the proposed map, data tables and geographic files, according to the bill summary.
Conservative commentators criticized the proposal, arguing it would favor Democrats. Townhall said in a social media post that the plan would “disenfranchise” Republican-leaning voters by concentrating them into a single district and create a 10–1 Democratic advantage.
The post showed Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger signing the bill and was shared on Townhall’s social media account.
VA Gov. Spanberger (D) laughs, smiles, and signs the redistricting bill that will disenfranchise about 48% of Republican-leaning voters by packing them into one district.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 6, 2026
It proposes a 10-1 Democratic advantage.
Great stuff, Virginia.pic.twitter.com/i3EWn4zcFk
Critics also circulated a 2019 post from Spanberger in which she said gerrymandering “is detrimental to our democracy and it weakens the individual voices that form our electorates,” adding that opposing the practice “should be a bipartisan priority.”
This is good news for Virginia and the country. Gerrymandering is detrimental to our democracy and it weakens the individual voices that form our electorates. Opposing gerrymandering should be a bipartisan priority. https://t.co/yNj1karxHk
— Abigail Spanberger (@SpanbergerForVA) June 17, 2019
Redistricting has become a renewed point of contention nationally as both parties accuse the other of drawing maps to secure political advantage ahead of future elections.
Supporters of the Virginia proposal say it responds to Republican actions in other states, while opponents argue it entrenches partisan control. The map’s final impact on Virginia’s congressional delegation could depend on legal challenges and how the plan is implemented for the 2026 elections.
