Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat nominee for Virginia governor, and Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears say they will not pursue redistricting if elected this November.
"Short answer is no," Spanberger, who represented Virginia's 7th Congressional District from 2019 to 2025, told WJLA. "Virginia by constitutional amendment has a new redistricting effort that was put in place and first utilized in the 2021 redistricting. I've been watching with interest what other states are doing, but I have no plans to redistrict Virginia."
Earle-Sears, the current lieutenant governor, said she does not see the need for redistricting as other states race to redraw their lines for the 2026 midterm elections after Texas changed its maps to possibly give Republicans five more seats in Congress.
"I think we're fine," Earle-Sears said to WJLA. "But you know, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it."
In 2020, voters in Virginia approved a constitutional amendment that created a bipartisan redistricting commission made up of 16 members: eight Republicans and eight Democrats. Seats are divided between legislators and citizens with the goal of increasing transparency and reducing gerrymandering, WJLA reported.
Any changes to Virginia's redistricting would require a constitutional amendment. WJLA reported it was unlikely an amendment could get on the ballot until after the 2026 midterms.
Virginia's 11 congressional districts feature five Republicans and five Democrats, with one seat in a Democrat-friendly district vacant.
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