In Virginia gerrymandering fight, Republicans claim Obama's with them. He isn't

Source: Reuters

April 18, 2026 6:05 AM EDT Updated 6 hours ago


WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - Republicans and Democrats vehemently disagree over whether Virginia should adopt a new congressional map for the November midterms, but they're leaning on the same person to sway ​voters to their side: former U.S. President Barack Obama. Ahead of Virginia's statewide special election on Tuesday, Obama has become an omnipresent voice of an expensive, high-stakes campaign that ‌could be critical in determining which party controls the House of Representatives after November's elections.

The former president - once an opponent of gerrymandering - has endorsed efforts by Virginia's Democratic Party to allow the state's legislature to create new congressional districts that could give Democrats four additional seats in Congress, offsetting similar Republican efforts undertaken at President Donald Trump's behest in Texas and several other states. His position shows how far Democrats have shifted on the issue in the wake of unprecedented Republican-led mid-decade efforts ​to redraw state congressional maps to help their party maintain control of Congress.

But Republicans are hoping Virginia's voters are more swayed by what Obama has said in the past. Television and radio ​ads sponsored by two Republican groups use 2017 footage of Obama that blames gerrymandering for political polarization that's made it "harder and harder to find common ground." ⁠They urge Virginians to vote no.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said the Obama-centric messaging from Republicans shows their desperation. "They wouldn't be lying about Obama's position if they weren't desperate and worried," Kaine said. Recent ​surveys of likely voters show the yes campaign narrowly leading. More than 1 million people have voted early, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. Should the amendment pass, the new congressional districts would remain in place ​until after the 2030 census.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/virginia-gerrymandering-fight-republicans-claim-obamas-with-them-he-isnt-2026-04-18/