Virginia Democrats have called lawmakers back to Richmond for a special session next week, the first step toward potentially redrawing their state’s U.S. House districts.
They’re taking a play out of Texas’ book, which redrew its maps in September, backed by President Donald Trump and his push for more partisan districts in Republican-run states.
Virginia Democrats are hoping it will boost their party’s chances in next year’s midterm elections.
Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, in an interview with WTOP anchor Nick Iannelli, called the move “a desperate grab for power.”
It’s all happening just days before Virginia’s high-stakes election in the race for governor on Nov. 4.
Listen to or read the interview below:
The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity.
- Nick Iannelli:
For the average political observer, to hear that this was happening, this was a little bit of a shock. This was stunning to hear. Did you as governor know this was coming, this redistricting effort, or were you just as caught off guard by it as everybody else?
- Glenn Youngkin:
No, I didn’t know it was coming, and I think it is a desperate grab for power.
Let’s be real. We’re now 34 days into an election cycle; 34 days into the election with 11 days left. And they’re calling for a special session to talk about redistricting and to push something that, by the way, Virginians settled five years ago when there was a constitutional amendment — approved by Virginians. two-thirds, one-third — to have a bipartisan redistricting committee do this work.
And by the way, now here they’re saying, “We’re going to ignore that. We’re going to override you all and drive a blatantly partisan agenda that is counter to everything that Virginians believe.”
The future of the Commonwealth is either going to be one that we work together and get things done, like we have done, or we cede political control to a party that wants to seize power like this right from the hands of voters that voted five years ago in order to have a bipartisan redistricting commission. And they want to do it 11 days before we finish an election.
This is crazy, and I think Virginians have to see through what this is and get out and vote and put a stop to this.
- Nick Iannelli:
You called this a “shameful, reprehensible power grab.” This basically happened in Texas, though, and this was supported by the Trump administration. Would you say that Republicans who do these efforts in other states are also carrying out a “shameful, reprehensible power grab?”
- Glenn Youngkin:
Nick, let me correct you directly.
There had not been a constitutional amendment passed in Texas. There has been one passed here — a constitutional amendment put to the voters in 2020. An amendment that said we will have a bipartisan redistricting commission and it will handle these redistricting issues. And it passed two-thirds, one-third in Virginia. We have settled this. This is done.
This is so fundamentally wrong, and it violates every ounce of decency that we’re supposed to have as public servants in the Commonwealth of Virginia. And, again, I think it’s reprehensible.
- Nick Iannelli:
Are you and your administration going to do something, or try to do something, to stop this from happening?
- Glenn Youngkin:
I believe over the course of the week, next week, it will become increasingly clear why this is unconstitutional.
Listen, right now, we’re just in shock that they would play this crazy, crazy card and pull everyone back, including Winsome Earle-Sears, who is campaigning — and they’re also doing it to get her off the campaign trail because they understand that this race has tightened so much.
People recognize they’ll do anything, anything, to seize control, and this is why this election is so tight. And the fact that they are calling this special session at a time when people should be out campaigning and winning by votes, not by trickery, I think this is a real tell into their moral compass, which is spinning right now.
- Nick Iannelli:
Are you going to do anything legally to try to stop this?
- Glenn Youngkin:
As you can imagine, everyone is examining all avenues, and we’ll see how that plays out next week.
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