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Trump makes last-minute pitch against Virginia redistricting ballot measure in telerally call

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by Caroline Vakil - 04/20/26 8:39 PM ET

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by Caroline Vakil - 04/20/26 8:39 PM ET

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President Trump made a last-minute pitch to Virginians on Monday evening, urging voters to reject a redistricting ballot measure that could give Democrats as many as four pickup opportunities in the House this November.

“This referendum is a blatant partisan power grab that nobody’s really ever seen anything like it,” Trump said on a telerally call with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) one day before the Virginia referendum.

“It’s the liberal extremist Gov. Abigail Spanberger, too bad, and the far-left Democrats in Richmond after Spanberger promised Virginia voters that she would never do this,” Trump said on the call. “And if it passes, Virginia Democrats will eliminate four out of five congressional seats, so you’re going to get just wiped out in terms of representation in Washington. That’s what it’s all about.”

“Please get out and vote and vote no. It’s very simple,” the president added. “Just vote no.”

The Old Dominion is holding a referendum on Tuesday in which Democratic lawmakers are asking voters if they can pass a new House map ahead of the 2030 census. The measure, which would be temporary, would allow Democrats to install a map that gives their party a 10-1 edge in the congressional delegation.

Virginia’s current House delegation has a narrow Democratic 6-5 edge.

Democrats are seeking to pass new maps to nix potential Republican gains in states such as Texas and Missouri, where the GOP pressed lawmakers to redistrict midcycle to add more House pickup opportunities in a midterm environment that’s shaping up to look similar to the anti-Trump 2018 midterms.

Nearly $100 million has poured in between both the “yes” and “no” campaigns for the referendum — much of it fueled by dark money groups and underscoring the stakes for both parties as Virginia represents Democrats’ last chance to redraw a state’s House map before the fall.

“We have to stand up for fair maps and we have to vote no,” Johnson said on the call.

“As your Speaker of the House, I see firsthand every single day how all five of those members are leading the fight on things like lowering costs and securing our borders and making Virginia and America great again,” the Louisiana Republican said after ticking off all five names of the Virginia House GOP members.

“And we need to return all five of them to Congress this November,” he added.

Dan Gottlieb, a spokesperson for the campaign advocating for the redistricting ballot measure, Virginians for Fair Elections, slammed the two men in a statement, arguing that Republicans were “rigging” the midterms, nodding to the fact that the Trump White House and national Republicans have pressed some GOP-led states to redraw their maps mid-cycle.

“Donald Trump and Mike Johnson swooping into Virginia tells you exactly what this is about: their power — not Virginians,” Gottlieb said. “Trump and his MAGA allies are trying to rig the 2026 midterms here in Virginia just like they have in other states, because the president thinks he’s ‘entitled’ to power. Tomorrow, Virginians can level the playing field. Vote YES and keep the power where it belongs — with voters.”

Florida lawmakers are set to convene next week for a special session on several priorities, including redistricting. However, GOP members have expressed concern that too aggressively drawing the map could backfire on the party in November.

Julia Manchester contributed to this report

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