Winsome Sears blasts Virginia Dems’ surprise redistricting session as a ‘stunt’ to pull her off the trail
Virginia’s political landscape is heating up as Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears criticizes state Democrats for their recent move to call a special session of the legislature to address potential redistricting ahead of the upcoming elections. This unexpected maneuver raises concerns over the integrity of the redistricting process, which is traditionally managed by a state commission tasked with creating new congressional maps following the decennial census. Earle-Sears’ campaign has labeled the Democrats’ actions as a “desperate political stunt,” asserting that they are attempting to disrupt her campaign momentum against Democratic challenger Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman. The campaign argues that this tactic reveals a lack of innovative ideas from the Democratic side and is a clear attempt to manipulate the political landscape in their favor.
The context of this political showdown is further complicated by the upcoming elections, where Democrats are aiming to expand their slim majority in the Virginia House of Delegates. Recent polling indicates that Earle-Sears is trailing Spanberger by about eight percentage points, a situation that has prompted heightened political tactics from both sides. The Democrats’ plan to reconvene the legislature is partly a response to pressures from former President Donald Trump regarding redistricting in Republican-controlled states. Key Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Don Scott Jr. and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, have not commented directly on the situation, but Surovell has indicated that the special session is necessary to counteract actions by the Trump administration.
Moreover, the implications of this redistricting effort could significantly alter the political landscape in Virginia. Democrats are eyeing potential changes to districts that could favor their party, particularly in swing areas that have historically fluctuated between Republican and Democratic representation. The redistricting commission, established through a constitutional amendment in 2020, was designed to create a fair process, but the current Democratic strategy appears to seek an end-run around that framework. If successful, this could lead to a reconfiguration of congressional maps that would benefit Democrats ahead of the elections, raising questions about the fairness and transparency of the electoral process. As the political battle intensifies, both Earle-Sears and Spanberger will need to navigate these challenges carefully, as the outcome could have lasting effects on Virginia’s political dynamics.
Related articles:
– Link 1
– Link 2
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears lambasted Virginia Democrats after they signaled a plan to suddenly call the legislature back in a last-minute special session to address potential redistricting before the election.
Virginia’s state redistricting commission is statutorily charged with crafting new congressional maps after every decennial census, but state Democrats appear poised to try to do an end-round around that process, potentially via the constitutional amendment process.
“In a desperate political stunt, Democrats in the
Virginia General Assembly
are calling for a special session to drag Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears off the campaign trail,” the Earle-Sears campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
NEW POLL IN KEY SHOWDOWN FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR INDICATES SINGLE-DIGIT RACE
As lieutenant governor, Earle-Sears is the presiding officer over the otherwise Democratic-majority state Senate.
“The same politicians who marched in ‘No Kings’ protests are now trying to crown themselves as the rulers of Virginia politics, abusing their offices to rig the calendar because they can’t win on ideas,” the campaign said.
Earle-Sears spokesperson Peyton Vogel said the activity is “what panic looks like” for a party that is out of fresh ideas and is relying on such “stunts,” and suggested Democratic challenger
Abigail Spanberger – a former congresswoman
– was in some way involved in the plan.
“[S]he’s leading the charge on cheap political stunts to slow down Winsome Earle-Sears’ momentum. It’s pathetic. Voters see through it. They know Winsome Earle-Sears is a Marine, a mom, and a fighter for Virginia every day — while Abigail Spanberger is a career politician using Washington-style dirty tricks to protect her power and her friends,” Vogel said.
EARLE-SEARS COMES OUT SWINGING IN HEATED DEBATE AS SPANBERGER DODGES JAY JONES QUESTIONS
A Suffolk University poll released Thursday showed
Earle-Sears trailing Spanberger
by about eight percentage points, while her downballot-mates John Reid and Jason Miyares were either tied or just ahead of their Democratic opponents.
Democrats are hoping to expand their two-seat majority in the House of Delegates, targeting several districts in the suburbs and exurbs of Hampton Roads and Washington, D.C., where Republicans sit on a statistical knife’s edge. No state Senate seats are up until 2027. The upper chamber also has a two-seat Democratic majority.
House Speaker Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, did not respond to requests for comment. However, Surovell told the New York Times that plans to reconvene the legislature in Richmond next week are intended to counter President Donald Trump’s push to pressure Republican-led states on redistricting.
Those states, like Texas, see their efforts as blunting California Democrats’ likely-successful shoehorning of a mid-decade redistricting plan through Sacramento.
VIRGINIA VOTERS SUE TO BOOT DEMOCRAT OFF BALLOT IN DISTRICT THAT COULD DECIDE STATE HOUSE MAJORITY
“We are coming back to address actions by the Trump administration,” Surovell told the Times.
On the federal level, Democrats hold six of the 11
House seats in Virginia
. Some of those held by Republicans are often considered “swing” seats that volley back and forth regularly – like that of Rep. Jennifer Kiggans in Cape Charles and Hampton Roads.
Loudoun County – once reliably Republican – has trended far to the left in the past decade, and there is no longer any Republican congressperson within about 50 miles of Washington.
Rep. Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, D-Va., twin brother of Alexander Vindman, holds a once-swing district in Prince William County and the D.C. exurbs that has been another long-term loss for the GOP.
WINSOME EARLE-SEARS REBUKES SPANBERGER PLAN TO UNDO VIRGINIA’S ICE PACT: ‘THIS IS NOT HARD’
By contrast, Rep. Morgan Griffith’s, R-Va., district in the far southwestern end of Virginia is solidly Republican. The way neighboring Rep. Ben Cline’s district is drawn – hugging Interstate 81 and the Blue Ridge Mountains – also remains so.
But Cline’s district could be one targeted by Democrats’ redraw – as slicing up the slender district and the top of Republican John McGuire’s confines and affixing the pieces to the increasingly blue center of the state could create several new seats designed in Democrats’ favor.
Toying with the shapes of other districts like Vindman’s along I-95 and Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in the Northern Neck could also bear fruit for Democrats.
Democrats were the ones to primarily spearhead the original constitutional amendment in 2020 that birthed the commission they now want to circumvent, as it had been introduced by then-Sen. George Barker of Fairfax. Some Republicans were listed as co-signers for the resolution as well.
SPANBERGER DEFENDS ABORTION AD CRITICIZING SEARS AFTER BERNIE WARNS AGAINST HIGHLIGHTING ISSUE
The amendment was later approved by about two-thirds of Virginia voters, according to reports.
If they go the constitutional amendment route, passage before November’s election would count as one session, so Democrats – betting on holding or increasing their numbers in the legislature – would have to pass it once more in the 2026 session before it made the ballot after passage.
Whether Earle-Sears or Spanberger wins, the
governor is constitutionally precluded
from intervening in the process.
Working through the regular legislative process would, by contrast, allow a governor to intervene; with the outgoing
Youngkin primed to veto
their initial attempt.
Pennsylvania Republicans led by 2022 gubernatorial nominee
Doug Mastriano
enlisted the same process to circumvent then-Gov. Tom Wolf and end his onerous coronavirus lockdown orders, so the process has seen recent success.
The Virginia amendment would not likely create a new map, but instead authorize a new process to commence redistricting outside the current system with the decennial commission.
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment on Earle-Sears’ claim.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
