Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine weighed in after the state Supreme Court on Friday blocked a newly drawn congressional map, with Warner calling the ruling “outrageous” and Kaine urging the candidates to “win.”
“I’m really disappointed in the court,” Warner said.
Virginia Supreme Court rules on new congressional maps
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., arrives at the Capitol Visitor Center to receive a briefing on Iran on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.
(Getty Images)
The court ruled that the redistricting effort failed to meet the requirements of Virginia’s constitutional amendment, halting a plan that Democrats had hoped would help flip several Republican-held seats as the two parties battled for control of the House.
The amendment passed in 2020 established stricter guidelines for the drawing and approval of congressional maps. It also includes limits on how political influence can shape district boundaries — a key issue cited by the court.
“I’m not going to second-guess the fact that a majority of Virginians voted for it,” Warner said.
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Democratic lawmakers aim to capture four seats held by Republicans under the proposal, which voters approved in May and was later overturned by the courts. The plan would reshape the state’s House map in Democrats’ favor ahead of the midterm elections.
The battleground state is the latest battleground in the redistricting war between Trump and Democrats
Those target districts are considered critical to Democrats’ efforts to make inroads in Virginia, which remains competitive in federal races despite leaning Democratic statewide.
“That’s what I think,” Kane said. “We now need to do what we did last November and win a lot of seats in the maps we didn’t draw.”
Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine leaves the Senate after voting at the U.S. Capitol on October 21, 2025.
Kaine’s response was indicative of the look on Democrats’ faces as they face the fallout from redistricting in Virginia as both parties vie for control of the House in the upcoming November midterm elections.
He did not answer the question directly, instead pointing to the strength of the party’s candidates and their ability to compete in key contests ahead of the election.
“Everything about the candidates running and the momentum they feel tells me we can do this, so that’s what I’m focused on right now,” he said.
Republicans have criticized the redistricting effort as an attempt to tilt the map in Democrats’ favor, while Democrats have pointed to similar efforts in Republican-led states as part of a broader national battle over congressional lines.
Trump urges Virginia voters to reject Democrats’ ‘blatant partisan power grab’
Voters attend an Arlington Democratic redistricting poll watch party during the special election on April 21, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.
In a separate statement, Kaine accused Republicans of “backroom dealings” in redrawing the map while rebuking the Virginia Supreme Court for expressing concerns about the referendum after “three million Virginians voted.”
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“It’s true that Democrats have one set of rules and Republicans have another set of rules,” Warner said.
With the proposed map blocked, both parties are expected to focus on key competitive Virginia districts that could decide control of the House.
Original source of the article: Warner calls Virginia court ruling ‘outrageous’, Kaine urges Democrats to ‘win’
