VA Speaker Don Scott on Virginia’s Plan to Counter GOP GerrymandersIn an exclusive interview, Virginia House Speaker Don Scott explains why Democrats will not “unilaterally disarm” as Trump-aligned states redraw maps to lock in minority rule.By Ben Meiselas The Supreme Court’s 6 to 3 decision allowing Texas to impose a mid-cycle congressional gerrymander was predictable. The right-wing majority has repeatedly signaled its willingness to greenlight partisan map manipulation so long as it benefits Republican legislatures. Yet it is worth noting that the Trump-backed gerrymander in Texas may not produce the gains Republicans hoped for. Major shifts in the electorate since 2024, particularly among Latino voters, are already undermining GOP expectations and could significantly reduce the number of new seats they believed this map would guarantee. But just because the Republican plan to rig the midterm maps isn’t going exactly as they planned, that doesn’t mean Democrats should disarm. Fortunately, we are seeing Democrats take a proactive approach. Governor Newsom led the way with Prop 50, which gave voters the opportunity to temporarily replace California’s existing congressional districts with newly drawn lines to combat the GOP’s moves. The proposition passed overwhelmingly. Enter Virginia. Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas quickly reacted to the recent SCOTUS decision on Texas’s gerrymander. “I’ve got something in store for Texas,” she said while reminding Virginians of the last time Republicans drew the state’s congressional map and packed Black voters into a single district. “NOW they can have one district and see how much they love it.” Against that backdrop, I caught up with Virginia House Speaker Don Scott to discuss VA Democrats’ plan to fight back. Scott, who has overseen one of the most decisive Democratic overperformances in the country, is moving fast to ensure Virginia does not “unilaterally disarm” while Trump-aligned states redraw maps to entrench minority rule. Scott, who led Democrats to a commanding 64 to 36 majority in the House of Delegates, told me Virginia cannot sit by while Trump loyalists in Texas, North Carolina, Indiana, Missouri, and Florida execute an “unprecedented mid-cycle redistricting scheme to override the will of the people.” “You have to stand up to the bully on the block,” Scott said. “Democrats don’t want to be in this position. We are against gerrymandering. But we have to level the playing field. We can’t pretend they’re playing fair while we sit aside and yell at them.” Virginia’s current congressional delegation is six Democrats and five Republicans. But Trump’s approval rating in Virginia now sits at negative twelve percent in the latest Morning Consult polling. It continues shrinking with each new survey. Virginia voters, still reeling from soaring health care premiums and mass layoffs of federal workers after Elon Musk’s contract cuts, have already shown their dissatisfaction. Democrats flipped Trump-won districts last cycle as workers rejected the administration’s hostility toward the federal workforce that fuels the state’s economy. “We won Trump voters back,” Scott said. “They know they were lied to. Nothing has gone down in price. People know when they’ve been lied to.” Now the Supreme Court has opened a path that Virginia cannot ignore. Scott has already taken the first step. Under state law, a constitutional amendment is required to permit mid-decade redistricting. The House passed the amendment once, then held the legally required intervening election. Scott says lawmakers will pass the identical resolution again on January 14, the first day of the coming session. “That’s how important this is,” he said. “We want this on the ballot by April so it can impact the 2026 elections. We don’t have a choice. We have an obligation to protect our democracy from Donald Trump’s rampant assault on it.” If voters approve the amendment, the legislature will draw new maps. Scott emphasized that they will be community-based with public input, but he also acknowledged political reality. A 10 to 1 map is not off the table. Given the Court’s ruling, the logic is simple. Republicans cannot gerrymander half the country while demanding that Democrats adhere to norms the GOP has discarded. The Supreme Court has effectively announced that until Congress passes a federal ban, states may draw maps as they choose. Scott’s view is direct. “We can’t unilaterally disarm.” He noted that even when lower courts, including judges appointed by Trump, found Texas’s maps racially discriminatory after a nine-day trial, the Supreme Court brushed aside those findings in a weekend. The message to Republican legislatures was unmistakable. The message to Virginia was equally clear. “We have an opportunity and an obligation to level the playing field,” Scott said. “Spare me the lectures from Republicans who won’t say a word about what Trump is doing in other states but want to lecture Virginia. We’re going to protect the franchise for voters here.” Scott sees this not only as a partisan clash but as a test of responsible governance. “Some of this is not about Democrat or Republican,” he said. “It’s about grown-up behavior. Right now we have people running the federal government who behave worse than second graders. We want to make America boring again. Competent government. Responsive government. You have to win, and then you have to deliver.” And in Virginia, Democrats are preparing to deliver. As we wrapped up, Scott made the stakes clear. “Any time MTG is the voice of reason in the Republican Party, the train is off the tracks. In Virginia, we’re going to make sure voters have a check on Donald Trump in the midterms.” The check may come further into with the map. The broader fight for democracy is far from over. Watch my interview with Virginia Speaker Don Scott above. Like and share this post. And consider joining as a paid subscriber if you are able. Thanks for spreading the word about this network. |
