VA: Proposed Redistricting Map Leaves Rep Spanberger 50 Miles Away From Her Congressional Seat, More

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(Richmond Times-Dispatch).

- Wash. Post, Dec. 8, 2021. - Ed.

One of Virginia’s 2 battleground congressional districts would become a safe Democratic seat in the midterms under a redistricting proposal released by the state Supreme Court late Wednesday afternoon - but it has been moved completely into another region of the state. The map- drawn by 2 special masters, one each nominated by Democrats & Republicans- proposes replacing the swing seat currently held by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D), who represents the western Richmond suburbs, with a much safer Democratic seat that would include all of Prince William & Stafford counties.

Congressional candidates don’t have to live in the district they represent, but Spanberger would be left nearly 50 miles away from the proposed 7th District boundary unless she chose to move.

The state’s one true battleground would still be the Virginia Beach-anchored seat held by Rep. Elaine Luria (D). As drawn it would favor Democrats slightly less than her current district, giving up its slice of Norfolk city while creeping into more heavily red parts of Southside. Both Luria & Spanberger were already seen as vulnerable in the 2022 midterms, with Joe Biden prevailing narrowly in both the 2nd & 7th districts in the 2020 presidential election before Gov-elect. Youngkin (R) won both last month.

[Youngkin’s wins in key congressional districts underline tough reelection bids for vulnerable Va. Democrats].

And after Youngkin made gains in Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton’s district as well, the National Repub. Campaign Committee announced it would be targeting Wexton along with Spanberger & Luria. All 3 lawmakers had defeated Republican incumbents during the 2018 blue wave, & national Republicans have been eager to snatch back those gains ever since. That Loudoun County-anchored seat would extend south to reach Charlottesville’s city limits under the proposal but still leans in Democrats’ favor. Biden won the 10th District by 19 points in 2020, and would have won it by 9 points. The special masters’ proposal is overall less competitive than the current map.

Of the 11 incumbents in Va.’s U.S. House delegation, all 8 men- including 4 Democrats & 4 Republicans- would remain as the sole incumbent living within the bounds of the state’s safest districts. Democrats had Va.’s 5th Congressional District on their wish list in the 2020 election, an aspiration that didn’t come to fruition. Now, the district held by Rep. Bob Good (R) would get only a tad redder under the proposed map. The district would retain its historic anchor in Southside Va., while still stretching up to Charlottesville, which the special masters said was necessary to capture more population. It also would encroach on the western Richmond suburbs in Chesterfield County- Spanberger’s current turf- while losing the part that had stretched to Warrenton...

More, Maps,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/08/virginia-redistricting-maps-release-congress/

Also: Virginia Congressional Map, Spanberger, Politico,
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/08/virginia-congressional-map-spanberger-524000