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Harris says Dems ‘rightfully outraged’ after Virginia Supreme Court tosses new map

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by Sarah Davis - 05/09/26 3:40 PM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 05/09/26 3:40 PM ET

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris said on Friday that Democrats are justified in their anger about the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision this week to strike down a new congressional map.

“Today, the Virginia Supreme Court ignored the will of the people and overturned those democratically chosen maps,” the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee wrote on the social platform X.

“This ruling gives a boost to Donald Trump’s effort to rig the 2026 elections and the Republicans’ long game to attack voting rights,” Harris continued. “We are rightfully outraged, but we will not give up. We must continue our fight to restore the power of the people.”

Virginia’s high court ruled 4-3 on Friday that a redistricting referendum voters approved for the state last month violated procedural rules. The decision shot down a new congressional map that could have netted Democrats an additional four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The original 6-5 Democratic-majority voting map will remain intact until the next redistricting period.

The Trump administration has encouraged an effort to redraw congressional maps in red states like Texas and Florida in order to maintain Republicans’ hold over the lower chamber of Congress.

President Trump celebrated the Friday decision, calling it a “huge win” for Republicans and the rest of the country.

“The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post following the court’s decision.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) echoed this sentiment in an X post.

“The Virginia Supreme Court has affirmed what we believed from the beginning — the hastily drawn egregious gerrymander was unconstitutional,” Johnson wrote. “This ruling is a victory for democracy and ensures Virginians have fair representation in Congress.”

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), who championed the mid-decade redistricting effort, said she was “disappointed” by the decision.

“I am disappointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia’s ruling, but my focus as Governor will be on ensuring that all voters have the information necessary to make their voices heard this November in the midterm elections because in those elections we — the voters — will have the final say,” the governor posted on X.

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