Obama, Spanberger endorse Virginia redistricting referendum after highest court clears way for vote

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- After the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Wednesday that Virginia Democrats' controversial mid-decade redistricting proposal can proceed as planned, former President Barack Obama and Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) have endorsed the decision, though some Republican lawmakers remain strongly opposed.

The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled on Wednesday, March 4, that Democrats’ proposed new congressional map will not be blocked from going before voters despite the ongoing court battle it is entangled in.

The ruling allows early voting on the proposal to begin on Friday, March 6, as planned, and the referendum itself is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, while the court continues to deliberate.

Obama, Spanberger endorse redistricting referendum

The morning of Thursday, March 5, Obama released a video message endorsing the April 21 referendum that allows voters to weigh in on the proposed constitutional amendment, letting the state redraw its existing congressional map before the November elections.

In the video message, Obama echoed Virginia Democrats' argument that the proposal is an attempt to protect democracy after President Donald Trump successfully lobbied several Republican states, such as Missouri and Texas, to redraw their congressional maps in ways Democrats argued favor Republicans.

Obama said that Virginia is responding differently since Virginia's voters will have the final say.

"Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. But right now, they are under threat.

Over the past year, several Republican-controlled states have taken the unprecedented step of redrawing their congressional maps in the middle of the decade. And they’ve done it for a simple reason: to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms this fall.

In April, Virginians can respond by making sure your voting power is not diminished by what Republicans are doing in other states.

This amendment gives you the power to level the playing field in the midterms this fall. And voters will have the final say over what the maps look like.

This is the responsible thing to do. It’s also a temporary measure. After the 2030 Census, Virginia will go back to a system that lets a bipartisan redistricting commission redraw the maps.

We can’t afford two more years of unchecked power and zero accountability in Washington.

Help us chart a better path forward, Virginia. Early voting begins March 6. Election Day is April 21. Vote YES, Virginia."

Obama's endorsement came shortly after Spanberger welcomed the Supreme Court of Virginia's decision to make way for early voting. She also encouraged Virginians to participate in the vote.

“As early voting begins tomorrow on Virginia’s redistricting amendment, voters should know that Virginia’s approach is different. It is temporary, directly responsive to what other states decide to do, and — most importantly, it preserves Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting process for the future.

I supported the formation of Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting commission in 2020, and that support has not changed. What has changed is what we’re seeing in states across the country — and a President who says he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats before this year’s midterm elections.

Virginians have the opportunity to take action in response to this extraordinary moment in history. That’s why, as a Virginia voter, I’m voting in favor of this amendment.”

Republicans criticize proposal, referendum process

However, Virginia Republicans have criticized the Democrats' proposal and the referendum process. They argued that the new map is an attempt at gerrymandering, or the intentional manipulation of electoral maps to unfairly put one party in power.

The Republican Party of Virginia quickly criticized Obama's message.

"Another Fake Moderate fraud trying to silence the voices of Virginia voters," the Virginia GOP wrote in a social post. "How cynical do you have to be to ask citizens of a Commonwealth you don’t even live in to go out and effectively disenfranchise their friends and neighbors?"

In a separate social post, the party pointed toward the gerrymandering process and urged Virginians to vote "no."

"For anyone who truly believes that Democrats’ power grab is “temporary,” we’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Ask yourself: if Democrats are able to make Virginia a one-party state, do you really believe they’ll just give that up out of the goodness of their hearts in 4 years? Of course not. They’ll gerrymander the legislature next and turn our beautiful Commonwealth into California East. VOTE NO!"

On Thursday, Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06) announced “Stop the Gerrymander,” a 501(c)(4) organization seeking to defeat the April 21 redistricting referendum, which he called "unfair to all Virginians." Cline also announced the hiring of skilled operative John Pudner to lead the grassroots effort and voter outreach efforts to defeat the referendum.

Cline released the following statement:

"This is an issue that affects my own district, of course, but it’s also unfair to all Virginians, which is why this must be a statewide effort. And I am confident that our fair-minded citizens will reject this unconstitutional redrawing of district lines to benefit one political party over the other. We are thrilled to add a professional like John Pudner to this team, because his ability to educate and organize voters is established and well known. With his help, we will defeat this referendum."

Ten of the state's 11 congressional districts would favor Democrats at the ballot box, based on historical electoral data.

Currently, Virginia has six Democratic and five Republican representatives in Congress.

Despite a Tazewell County judge blocking the proposal twice and the Republican National Committee (RNC), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and two GOP congressmen have also filed a lawsuit against it, the justices chose to allow the election to proceed since they say "Virginia courts should not prematurely enjoin an upcoming election."

For all of our coverage on Virginia Democrats’ mid-decade congressional redistricting proposal, click here.