Virginia voters recently approved a redistricting referendum that could have given Democrats as many as four additional seats, but the state Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional. Now, reports have emerged detailing the strategies the party is pursuing after the major setback. Democratic voters, however, appear to blame Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger for not fighting harder for redistricting.
Vox recently reported on the Democratic response to the redistricting failure in Virginia. According to the article, “redistricting exhaustion” is a real issue for the party, as the court decision dampened voter enthusiasm and left many feeling a “lack of agency” in the electoral process.
Another aspect of the report concerned how Democrats are dealing with “woke” policies, which played a major role in the 2020 election. While discussion of these issues has cooled somewhat, progressive causes will still have politicians advocating for them. In addition, candidates increasingly see “affordability” and “corruption” as key issues that could help them win over voters.
Virginia Democratic Voters Still Blame Spanberger for Redistricting Failure
While reports suggest that the Democratic Party is bracing for a difficult election following the judicial defeat, many voters on Reddit’s r/Virginia seemed unconvinced, with some blaming Spanberger for a lack of leadership on the issue. One of them asked whether Democrats were really fighting “by giving up? That is Spanberger’s decision. The rest of the confederacy redistricted red – regardless of their own state constitutions.”
Others criticized fellow Virginians who argued that the governor bore no responsibility, claiming that “certainly, the governor has a role in leadership and strategy.” Another seemingly disappointed voter said, “I enthusiastically voted for her, but I’m profoundly disappointed in her ‘180’ on this issue,” alluding to her recent vetoes of several progressive measures.
Some voters also criticized the party for not fighting the Supreme Court’s decision more aggressively. “Can you call something a defeat if they never actually fought?” one person asked. Others added: “‘defeat.’ If you did something that wasn’t in line with the law, you weren’t defeated. You did something stupid.”
It is still too early to know how the Democratic Party will perform in the midterms, but if voter sentiment is any indication, it will likely be a difficult election to win.
