Democrats Prepare To Spend Millions In Virginia Redistricting Effort, Top Lawmaker Says

The Democratic Party is preparing to invest tens of millions into a redistricting inaugural successful Virginia, aiming to unafraid an further 4 seats successful nan U.S. House of Representatives.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries confirmed nan party's commitment, stating connected CNN's State of nan Union programme that Democrats will do "whatever it takes" to guarantee a Virginia ballot inaugural succeeds successful an April elector referendum.

This fierce push for caller voting maps successful Virginia and Maryland is portion of an progressively partisan attack to redistricting. It seeks to bolster Democratic practice successful Congress and offset akin efforts by Republicans, who person already enacted caller territory lines successful states specified arsenic Texas, Missouri, Ohio, and North Carolina.

These strategical maneuvers travel up of November's midterm elections, pinch Republicans presently holding a slim mostly successful nan House.

Voters successful California approved a Democratic-backed redistricting measure. Some Democrats besides dream to redraw nan legislature representation successful Maryland to destruct its sole Republican-held seat, but nan authorities Senate president, Democrat Bill Ferguson, said location is not capable support successful his enclosure and that he does not scheme to clasp a ballot connected nan bill.

Jeffries connected Sunday said he had not precocious spoken to Ferguson, but would person a speech pinch him "at immoderate point" if he continues to reason nan redistricting proposal.

The effort to redraw districts comes months up of nan November midterm elections, wherever Democrats will effort to wrest power of nan U.S. Congress from Republicans. In consequence to a mobility astir what Democrats would walk connected nan Virginia effort, Jeffries told CNN nan statement will do "whatever it takes" to triumph that April referendum.

The U.S. Supreme Court successful 2019 stripped national courts of their powerfulness to constabulary partisan voting maps, opening nan doorway to state-by-state battles to trade legislature districts. Last year, Republican President Donald Trump demanded that his statement redraw nan maps to their benefit, sparking a conflict pinch Democrats who successful move adopted a much fierce attack to nan issue.

The Virginia Supreme Court said connected Friday it would let a Democratic-backed redistricting effort to caput to a elector referendum successful April.

"We're striking back," Jeffries told CNN. "We're going to make judge that there's a adjacent nationalist map."

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said connected CBS News' "Face nan Nation" that he worried astir his party's expertise to support power successful nan House, partially because of redistricting.