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Del. Dan Helmer on Virginia redistricting and congressional run
Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer led fellow Democrats to major gains in November's election. Now he's turning his attention to the redistricting of the Commonwealth, and a run in the newly proposed 7th district. He joins Sydney Persing on The Final 5 to discuss.
VIRGINIA - Former President Barack Obama has launched an effort to boost Virginia's redistricting amendment the day before early voting begins across the state.
What we know:
In a video released on Thursday, Obama asked Virginians to support the referendum to redraw the state's congressional districts, calling the proposal a "responsible, temporary step" to protect fair representation.
The former president said that the redistricting amendment will make sure "your voting power is not diminished by what Republicans are doing in other states."
"This amendment gives you the power to level the playing field in the midterms this fall. And voters will have the final say over what the maps look like," he said.
Dig deeper:
For the second time, Obama is campaigning for a Democratic initiative that urges voters to temporarily abandon independent redistricting. The goal is to adopt partisan maps to combat President Donald Trump's efforts to gerrymander congressional districts in Republican-led states.
Gov. Spanberger backs Virginia redistricting amendment ahead of early voting
As early voting begins in Virginia’s redistricting referendum, Governor Abigail Spanberger is encouraging voters to support the proposed amendment.
What they're saying:
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger also released a statement on Thursday encouraging voters to support the proposed amendment.
"As early voting begins tomorrow on Virginia’s redistricting amendment, voters should know that Virginia’s approach is different. It is temporary, directly responsive to what other states decide to do, and — most importantly, it preserves Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting process for the future," Spanberger said.
The backstory:
The announcements come a day after Virginia's Supreme Court ruled to allow early voting to move forward in the state’s redistricting referendum.
Earlier this year, Virginia Democrats approved a proposed congressional district map that could reshape the state’s political landscape for the 2026 midterm elections. The newly proposed map, passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Spanberger, would redistribute Virginia’s 11 U.S. House districts and, based on some analyses, could help Democrats gain up to four additional seats in Congress — shifting the state’s representation significantly.
What's next:
Under Virginia law, the map can only go into effect if voters approve a constitutional amendment allowing mid-decade redistricting.
The referendum will appear on the ballot as early voting begins on Friday, several weeks before Election Day on April 21.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by Virginians for Fair Elections, the Office of Governor Abigail Spanberger and previous reporting by FOX 5 DC.