Following a tight defeat in Virginia, Republicans are casting blame as President Donald Trump’s national gerrymandering campaign reaches a standstill.
Several Republicans argue that the party should have allocated more resources sooner to effectively challenge the Democrats’ Virginia map, which could potentially secure the Democrats up to four additional House seats. Meanwhile, pressure is intensifying on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to counter Democrats’ advances with a Republican-led redistricting initiative in his state, possibly starting next week.
“It’s hard to find a Republican tonight who doesn’t think the GOP should’ve taken stronger action in Virginia. The narrow loss makes it even more painful,” commented a GOP operative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, like others in this article.
There are growing indications that Trump and the GOP have expended considerable time and political resources on a challenging back-and-forth that appears to be heading for a stalemate. Even if Republicans manage to make gains with a new Florida map, any overall benefits are expected to be minor.
“I don’t think Republicans considered the worst-case scenario, like what happens if all Democrat-controlled legislators resist this?” remarked a Virginia Republican. “We’re witnessing something that initially seemed promising now reversing gains we’ve achieved elsewhere.”
Tuesday’s outcome in Virginia, alongside gains in California and a new court-ordered seat in Utah, effectively nullifies the advantage Republicans gained from new maps in Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Missouri. This marks a significant reversal nearly nine months after Trump initially urged Republicans in Texas to redraw maps, shifting the midterm landscape.
“For the record, Republicans initiated the mid-decade redistricting battle in Texas,” Erick Erickson, a conservative radio host and notable voice among evangelical voters within the MAGA base, wrote on X following the amendment’s passage in Virginia.
“Now, as it stands, Democrats hold an advantage from the redistricting fight,” he noted.
The RNC and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
National Republican Congressional Committee chair Rep. Richard Hudson remains hopeful that the state’s Supreme Court, which retained the right to review the new map post-election, will nullify the Democrats’ efforts.
“This narrow margin underscores that Virginia is a purple state and should not be represented by an extreme partisan gerrymander,” Hudson said in a statement. “That’s why the courts, which have already twice blocked this blatant power grab, should uphold Virginia law.”
Nonetheless, several Virginia Republicans believe their party could have done more to prevent the Democrats’ victory on Tuesday. Democrats outspent Republicans by approximately a three-to-one margin, leaving Republicans disadvantaged on the airwaves until the final stages of the race. Virginians for Fair Elections — leading the “yes” campaign — raised $64 million, according to Virginia Department of Elections data, bolstered by nearly $38 million from House Majority Forward, a political nonprofit linked to House Democratic leadership.
Despite having significantly more funds in external groups — including $297 million raised by the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. since last year alone — Republicans ultimately did not match the Democrats’ financial commitment.
“Had they invested more, they could have won tonight, and someone needs to take responsibility for that decision,” stated a second Virginia-based GOP strategist.
Some Republicans directed their frustration at the Indiana Legislature, where GOP lawmakers rejected the White House’s push for a new map providing two additional red-leaning seats. Chris LaCivita, Trump’s former campaign co-manager and a longtime Virginia-based GOP strategist, shared a social media post on Tuesday criticizing Republicans in Indiana for their lack of aggression.
It is now too late for the state to redraw its lines, and Trump supporters have invested time and millions of dollars to unseat the GOP legislators who opposed the effort.
With most states out of play, Republicans are turning their focus to DeSantis as one of their last and best opportunities to regain the upper hand before November. The Florida governor postponed a special session on state redistricting until after Virginia’s election and has yet to unveil a new map proposal.
Former Trump White House spokesperson Harrison Fields urged Florida Republicans to respond aggressively to the Virginia result.
“To my friends in Tallahassee: in a state that is solidly red, it’s time to address what happened in Virginia with a redistricting plan that reflects Florida’s true partisan lean — and adds 3–4 GOP seats to our supermajority,” Fields said in a social media post. “Virginia is a purple state being drawn as deep blue. Florida should create an even redder map and pass it quickly.”
Not everyone supports escalating the redistricting battle. Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican-turned-independent targeted by California Democrats’ gerrymander, stated that the result further proves the redistricting conflict should never have begun.
“It’s deeply unfortunate it occurred in Texas, California, Virginia, and everywhere else,” Kiley told POLITICO after the Virginia race was concluded Tuesday evening. “Now that this has spiraled out of control, there are no winners, and it’s caused such instability, perhaps this is the moment to agree, ‘Alright, enough is enough.’”
Amidst all the criticism over Republicans losing ground in the president’s redistricting campaign, one individual emerged largely unscathed: Trump himself.
The president largely remained on the sidelines until he hosted a tele-rally with Speaker Mike Johnson, urging people to vote “no” in the race’s final hours.
Some Republicans in the state were relieved he stayed away, given his declining national approval, particularly in a light blue state. Thirty-three percent of adults approve of Trump’s job performance, according to an AP-NORC poll released Tuesday.
“If I were the Democrats, I’d want Trump campaigning every day,” Virginia-based Republican strategist Brian Kirwin remarked.
Blake Jones contributed to this report.
