Trump’s Gerrmandering Call Backfires: How Virginia Democrats Gained Seats Before Midterms

Trump’s Remarks on Gerrymandering Spark Backlash in Virginia

On Monday night, just before Virginia voters approved a referendum that will allow Democrats to draw up to four new House seats ahead of the midterms, Donald Trump summarized the situation in a single sentence. “I don’t know if you know what gerrymandering is,” Trump told a conference call of Virginia supporters, “but it’s not good.”

Trump’s comments came after he urged Texas Republicans last summer to gerrymander to help the GOP hold the House, then pressed other red states to follow suit. Democrats retaliated in blue states, and Trump’s actions initiated this political arms race. By calling the Virginia initiative “not good,” he inadvertently confirmed the GOP’s stance: Republicans should be allowed to rig elections to their advantage, while Democrats should accept defeat.

Trump’s Image Dominated ‘Yes’ Campaign Ads in Northern Virginia

In the final days of the ‘vote yes’ campaign, 100% of the ads aired in Northern Virginia markets heavily featured or emphasized Trump’s image, according to a source familiar with the ad buy. “Trump’s mug was all over the communications voters were receiving, specifically among the lion’s share of the voters we needed,” the source said. “His name and face were plastered all over the mess he made.”

The referendum passed by a narrow three-point margin, with heavily populated areas in Northern Virginia—Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington, and Alexandria—voting overwhelmingly in favor. These areas contributed nearly 600,000 of the ‘yes’ side’s total of nearly 1.6 million votes.

Meanwhile, heavily Black areas such as Petersburg, Portsmouth, Hampton, and Newport News were targeted with anti-Trump messaging, shifting their votes slightly toward Democrats compared to 2024.

Anti-Trump Messaging Resonated with Virginia Voters

A typical closing ad for the ‘yes’ campaign stated: “Trump is rigging elections so he can hold onto power—Virginia, we can stop him.” When Trump suggested that gerrymandering is acceptable when Republicans do it but unacceptable when Democrats do, he reinforced the ‘yes’ campaign’s primary anti-Trump message.

“Donald Trump started this fight—and voters responded by rejecting him,” Dan Gottlieb, communications director for the ‘yes’ campaign, told reporters.

Gerrymandering War Shifts Advantage to Democrats

Trump’s actions sparked a gerrymandering war, with Republicans adding seats in Texas and other states, while Democrats created new ones in California and Virginia. Democrats are now on track to gain one or two more seats than Republicans, though Florida’s redistricting could still alter the outcome.

The core of this situation is clear: Trump ordered Republicans to rig the midterms in their favor, and Democrats responded to prevent it. Yet some news accounts obscure this reality by framing Democrats’ use of gerrymandering as unprincipled, despite their long-standing opposition to the practice.

For example, a New York Times overview described the situation as “head-spinning” and portrayed Democrats’ actions as inconsistent with their previous stance.