Virginia Approves Redistricting, Signaling Trouble for Trump’s Housing Agenda

Virginia voters approved a measure to temporarily change their state's Congressional map, a consequential decision that could help Democrats take back control of the U.S. House this fall.

The ballot measure would rework the state's 11 Congressional districts in a way that heavily favors Democrats.

Virginia now has five Republicans and six Democrats in Congress, but the new map would gerrymander those lines 10-1 to favor Democrats. And it comes at a time when the Republicans hold a narrow majority.

The state is a consequential get for Democrats in the nationwide, multistate arms race to redistrict seats for political gains outside of the typical time frame.

That rush began when Texas gerrymandered its districts last year allowing Republicans to pick up five seats. The U.S. Supreme Court later upheld that map.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, praised the move. But she also said the state's bipartisan redistricting commission would return in 2030 to redraw the maps, in line with the regular process.

“I understand the urgency of winning congressional seats as a check on this president, and I look forward to campaigning with candidates across the Commonwealth working to earn Virginians’ trust—and their votes," Spanberger said.

Competing visions

President Donald Trump has said maintaining control of Congress would help him enact his agenda. That includes a broad swath of plans aimed at increasing housing affordability, such as banning institutional investors from the single-family market and cutting red tape. He and Republicans say environmental policies and other laws proffered by Democratic leaders have made homes harder to build.

Democrats have offered their own competing set of ideas aimed at improving housing affordability, such as reforms to housing finance, more rental relief, and cracking down on predatory landlords. They have criticized Trump's tariff policies for driving up the cost of construction materials.

Both parties were able to get a major bipartisan housing bill, the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, passed in both the House and Senate this year. But the bill remains gridlocked behind competing political priorities.