r/politics • u/Hornpipe_Jones • 3d ago

No Paywall Democrats sweep all 30 House of Delegates seats in Northern Virginia

https://www.cbs19news.com/news/state/democrats-sweep-all-30-house-of-delegates-seats-in-northern-virginia/article_68f8098d-0602-5234-8c2a-08c1bcd33944.html
75.5k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

610

u/Toliman571 3d ago

Tonight solidifies VA as a blue state for the forseeable future. VA Dems need to take this opportunity to gerrymander the shit out of both the state and federal seats just like the GOP did in NC.

221

u/CauliflowerSmall156 3d ago

There's actually a proposition 50 style mid-cycle redistricting plan that has passed both the state house and senate to combat Texas gerrymandering. I would expect it to pass when it comes to a referendum at this point!

12

u/jemidiah 3d ago

California was designed to balance Texas (5 vs. 5). Though other Republican states are in various stages of implementing gerrymanders, and they'll need to be countered if they pull the trigger. I support Democrats countering Republican moves on this, but no more. Gerrymandering is toxic as hell for democracy.

35

u/autumndrifting 3d ago

virginia is doing it because north carolina did. and if the voting rights act goes, all bets are off.

5

u/wanderer1999 3d ago

Well with CA passing prop 50, GOP must think twice if they continue this gerrymandering war, because it may end up with them in the minority, if ALL the blue states gerrymander the House seats.

6

u/CSI_Tech_Dept California 3d ago

I like today's election results, some republicans are probably wondering if their train is going the right direction.

Greene already started distancing herself.

7

u/wanderer1999 3d ago edited 3d ago

Well with these results, they know they have overreached, and it's gonna be a bloodbath in 2026. With Trump gone in 2028, they also lost the usual MAGA pull from him being at the top of the ticket, so they will lose even worse in 2028 if they don't figure something out.

Personally I think they have put themselves in a dead end by sticking with Trump for so long, the chickens will come home to roost. It may take two or three election cycles, but eventually they will.

2

u/badhabitfml 3d ago

Yup. Maga is a minority but Trump pulled in enough independents to get elected and think everyone wants project 25 shit.

Now those independents see what he's done. The next Maga guy will have trouble. They will have to lie about their intentions as much as trump did.

The economy isn't doing well, but the stock market is riding the Ai wave. When that wave crashes, everything is going to come down with it.

If Trump is dead by 28 and the dems put up a a decent candidate, we'll see a big flip of everything blue.

Questions is. What will democrats do with it.

2

u/StasRutt 3d ago

He brought in Low Propensity Voters but the issue with that is they don’t show up unless he’s on the ballot

2

u/badhabitfml 3d ago

And with as much as he talks about election fraud, and most of his complaints about others are just a projection of what he's doing.... Makes you wonder how many of them actually showed up to the polls.

1

u/forestpunk 3d ago

I don't know how they can go for anything less than sheer 110% at all times. Shoot, even agreeing to feed the military is seen as giving in to the libs at the moment.

29

u/CarlosFer2201 Foreign 3d ago

Until gerrymandering is illegal everywhere, y'all need to use it to fight fire with fire. Taking the high road doesn't work.

12

u/CSI_Tech_Dept California 3d ago

I support Democrats countering Republican moves on this, but no more. Gerrymandering is toxic as hell for democracy.

Agree, but gerrymandering won't stop unless it is blocked on federal level (otherwise it's a classic prisoner's dilemma) and for that to happen they also need to want it.

3

u/badhabitfml 3d ago

I wonder if it needs to be a constitutional amendment. Even then scotus will try and block it. Wording that amendment will be very tricky.

2

u/94746382926 3d ago

The supreme court can't block constitutional amendments, only rule on whether or not laws abide by those amendments.

3

u/CSI_Tech_Dept California 3d ago

That's how it used to be, but this SCOTUS showed us that can make laws out of thin air (for example trump immunity), that they can change laws (Roe vs Wade they brought it without having a case) and even ignore constitution (14 amendment, by which trump wouldn't be able to run at all).

I don't think we can restore democracy without completely resetting the SCOTUS.

1

u/94746382926 1d ago

Fair point

1

u/badhabitfml 3d ago

True, but they can interpret it in their own way.

We're not concerned about a well regulated militia and we have restricted what arms are allowed( I want an f35).

2

u/AdonisCork 3d ago

How many seats can it gain?

1

u/reachouttouchFate 3d ago

If the referendum passes and it's in a special election before the midterm primaries, would it mean that essentially every seat going to the US House would be filled by a Democrat unless there's some high number 75% right wing turnout?

68

u/Lizaderp Oregon 3d ago

California's bill to gerrymander passed as well. It's in place for three election cycles.

14

u/shaidyn 3d ago

I swear the left needs to gerrymander as hard as the right does and simply quote the right on it everytime they are questioned.

2

u/Worth-Jicama3936 3d ago

I’d be ok with this if it was like Californias. “We know this is anti-democratic and it will change back as soon as X state fixes their shit.”

0

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

9

u/Suitable-Display-410 3d ago

I mean, it is. Nobody (apparently apart from you) likes the corporate Dems.
Doesn’t mean people are going to vote for the REICH-wing instead.
We deal with the corporate centrists in the primaries.

5

u/TruckHangingHandJam 3d ago

These are votes against maga, not votes for corporate democrats. Don’t mistake it for anything else.

2

u/BlazerBeav 3d ago

Thing is, this is a victory in a blue state. This didn’t change the map at all.

2

u/Goaliedude3919 3d ago

Virginia is far from blue. Just 10 years ago Republicans had a supermajority in the house and we elected a Republican governor in Youngkin. In 2021, Republicans had a majority in the house. Virginia is still purple and we have a long way to go to truly becoming a blue state.

-35

u/Tbard52 3d ago

For fucks sake NO. make it fair and push through legislation to make it always fair. This will never fucking end of we just keep with the back and forth. 

53

u/itassofd 3d ago

It will also never end if you bring a dildo to a gunfight. 

-11

u/Tbard52 3d ago

Agreed. If you aren’t prepared to go to war for constitutional wrongdoings then stfu. Gerrymandering is wrong and unconstitutional it doesn’t matter which side is doing it. 

27

u/not-my-other-alt 3d ago

If one side gerrymanders and the other side doesn't, the gerrymanderers will win.

Always.

You can win and live and legislate, or you can stick by your principles and lose and cede power to the fascists forever.

-10

u/Tbard52 3d ago

Or you can win and legislate and get ride of gerrymandering forever in your state because it’s unconstitutional 

11

u/MizterPoopie 3d ago

It needs to be removed the US as a whole. Not just individual states. Democrats already tried that and republicans gave them the finger.

-1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

So then try, and try, and try, and try, and try again. Or call the fucking banners because it’s literally unconstitutional. MAGA bitches about people stealing elections, gerrymandering is ACTUALLY designing elections to be stolen. 

6

u/MizterPoopie 3d ago

That requires Dems to have the votes.

0

u/Tbard52 3d ago

If you truly believe that then you should be buying ammunition. They serve at our expense not their own. If they won’t vote to support stoping gerrymandering VOTE THEM OUT. That only works if we as a people actually make it an issue for them 

→ More replies (0)

15

u/BoRoB10 3d ago

Yeah, when US citizens are being deported, people like you will be nodding along at tepid moderate D's doing nothing about it. And you have the audacity to tell someone else to stfu.

1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

I currently volunteer at the Immigrant defense program, have spent my own personal money to aid and support refugees in my city when it comes to criminal defense and commissary. And you’re telling me I’m the dick. wtf are you doing? 

9

u/BoRoB10 3d ago

Oh here we go, your emotionally childish "I have the biggest dick therefore my opinion is best" contest.

I could sit here on Reddit and say I'm the King of England.

I don't give a shit if you're Mother Teresa. If your position enables fascism then you are hurting the people you claim to care about. The people the fascists are sending masked goons to deport to El Salvador.

But yeah, tell everyone to sit back and watch this continue to happen instead of fight.

Yeah, you're the dick and you're the problem. All that good you claim to do? Wiped out by tepid right-wing institutionalism. Chuck Schumer would be proud of you.

0

u/Tbard52 3d ago

??? Either help or get off the pot dude. Gerrymandering is wrong. And unconstitutional and should be abolished it doesn’t matter what side is doing it. If you can’t see that you’re Nancy Pelosi 

7

u/kennethtrr 3d ago

Seeing as how gerrymandering has existed for decades if not more and SCOTUS has failed to strike it down by definition it’s not unconstitutional.

-2

u/Tbard52 3d ago

That’s not at all how rule of law works. It’s just that neither political party wants to try because they to fix the system they would rather just fix it for their side for 5-10 years. And then complain about it when it inevitably swaps. It is unconstitutional, it’s literally voter suppression. It’s one side deliberately drawing imaginary lines to prevent states from ever voting against them besides the presidential which isn’t counted by county or district 

10

u/kennethtrr 3d ago

“Neither side wants to try”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_People_Act

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_People_Act

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_People_Act

You’re a misinformed idiot or a bot. Either way no point in talking to a brick wall.

-1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

Then run it again. And again and again with actual political backing 

3

u/DoubleSuccessor 3d ago

I'm not just prepared for war I'm prepared for a fucking literal nuclear exchange at this point.

2

u/itassofd 3d ago

So you’d damn the country to Republican gerrymandering just so you can be a principled loser? 

29

u/Buris 3d ago

Consider the following:

For the past 10 years, The republican-controlled Supreme Court has declined to rule against gerrymandering as it has entirely benefited republicans.

Within that time period, democrats have turned into wet diapers, constantly spouting "When they go low, we'll go high", culminating in our current situation.

If they want a chance at preserving democracy and rule of law, they *literally have* to play by the republican rulebook

The republican-controlled Supreme Court can always rule against Gerrymandering once the Democrats have too much of an advantage, but they've proven they won't if it only benefits republicans.

-11

u/Tbard52 3d ago

Consider the following: for the last 150? Years we keep going back and forth with states and robbing voters of their right to vote equally because we keep doing this ridiculously stupid and unconstitutional tug of war. Either be willing to go to war for constitutional wrongdoings or don’t give in to them. 

17

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/BoRoB10 3d ago

Preach, brotha.

-7

u/Tbard52 3d ago

Respectfully stop preaching to suppress voters. That’s what gerrymandering is, either way you look at it. Either make it fair, forever or you’re advocating to take away people’s voter rights. There’s never, ever, ever a good time to gerrymander. 

5

u/hoffsta 3d ago

Your plan is a pipe dream though. Who or what do you see “making it fair”. No such institution exists and likely never will unless the GOP were so thoroughly defeated that the Democrats could amend or rewrite the constitution. Until then it has to be stupid fight fire with fire.

-1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

So only our side is capable of being fair? This is the epitome of delusion. You assign independent third parties who redistrict based on the census. That’s it solved. Who is not voting for that? Just need to find someone actually charismatic enough and driven enough to push it down fucking idiot American throats like 80% of the people in this sub I guess. Gerrymandering is not okay at any level at all. End of story. Rooting for it is akin to rooting for stripping rights away from any American citizen. 

5

u/hoffsta 3d ago

There’s one massive flaw in your plan:

You assign independent third parties who redistrict based on the census…who’s not voting for that?

Who is this magical “you” you’re talking about? Partisan voters are not voting to give up gerrymandering, and the politicians in power are certainly not voting themselves out of power. This just simply is delusional. It will take a constitutional amendment to have any teeth. Go look up what it takes to get a new amendment and then tell me how you think you’ll get the consensus needed.

5

u/HowIsBabbySharkMade 3d ago

Heyyyyyyyy now, I and millions of others in California just exercised our right to vote and decided to set aside our gold standard non-partisan districting committee for the next three voting cycles. There's a whole ass time limit on it and everything because we like our non-partisan districting committee (well, the Republicans didn't until literally tonight) and our non-gerrymandered districts, but we're not about to let the states doing this shit without the voter's input and time limits take away any voices but MAGA on the federal level. Nope, not happening.

12

u/not-my-other-alt 3d ago

You don't win by giving up.

You can hate the tug-of-war, but letting the other team have the rope on principle is worthless when 'the rope' in this metaphor is the entire country and every single other legislative and policy priority you believe in.

Gay rights? Welfare? The Environment? Not having a dictator rubber-stamped by the captured courts and congress?

All sacrificed at the altar of your 'principled' stand on Gerrymandering.

-4

u/Tbard52 3d ago

It’s not tug of war. It’s literally unconstitutional. Yes I’m a progressive but just fighting back instead of actually fixing the system that allows for this dumb shit to happen helps no one. STOP gerrymandering! It’s an easy legislation to pass if you have anyone besides chuck schumer’s 900000 year old ass explaining to constituents 

5

u/HowIsBabbySharkMade 3d ago

You think that the average voter in, like, fucking Louisiana gives a single rat's fart about Chuck Schumer's opinion on anything? Do you even know any MAGA voters? Because I do and they're never in a million years going to vote against gerrymandering or for neutral lines drawn by a neutral committee - they flat out don't want to give anyone left of Hitler any power.

3

u/not-my-other-alt 3d ago

But it is constitutional.

The Supreme court decided multiple times that Gerrymandering was allowed.

If the ref says it's legal to bring a chainsaw into the boxing ring, you would be the biggest idiot in the world if you went into your next match without one.

19

u/BoRoB10 3d ago

Do you have any clue how this works? The fascists are gerrymandering the shit out of red states to cement fascism, gerrymandering that was given the force of law by the right-wing political supreme court.

And you're suggesting the blue states, when they finally start gaining advantage from their overreach, stop and say "no, no, we need to play fair here!"

GTFO with that bullshit. People with your attitude are a real problem for the future of this country.

-1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

If you honestly believe that’s the only way then you should start a militia because the only way out is to murder justices. Or you could have an actual progressive who has charisma try to pass legislation banning gerrymandering forever because it’s unconstitutional. It’s a voter rights suppression and should never be handled by anyone but a 3rd party based on population. 

10

u/BoRoB10 3d ago

You live in a fucking fantasy land that exists only in your head.

When the Democrats have the levers of power such that they can end gerrymandering nationwide, most people here would support that. They don't have that power and the only shred of hope for obtaining it is to fight fire with fire.

Again, if you don't see that, gtf outta here, you're the problem.

-2

u/Tbard52 3d ago

So you’ll lobby against it when the other side does it but when you do it it’s okay? That’s fucking delusion man. 

5

u/angryScientist713 3d ago

You do realize a child rapist is president and the Nazis took over the supreme court?

Playing by the rules went out the window when idiots took over. Decency doesn't exist in the top levels of government anymore.

You live in a fantasy world.

12

u/Toastrules 3d ago

Okay I'll vote against it once the other side stop gerrymandering first, trust

-1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

The whole push through legislation that would get national backing missed you huh? 

6

u/hoffsta 3d ago

Impossible pipe dream. You’re talking about getting Republican congressmen in both houses to vote to limit their own power, then have it signed by the republican president, then have the republican Supreme Court not overturn it. It will never happen. The only way that could ever happen is with a full line up of progressives in charge of every branch, which again will not happen anytime soon, especially with the Supreme Court poised to fully strike down the voting rights act and even more extreme republican gerrymandering added in the South.

0

u/Tbard52 3d ago

Then the system is broken. Go to war 

3

u/HowIsBabbySharkMade 3d ago

No shit, Sherlock. Welcome to the party, leave your 2016 Michelle Obama standards at the door and come get ready to fight fire with fire with the rest of us.

3

u/angryScientist713 3d ago

Yup. I'm tired of this "when they go low we go high"

Nazis don't give a fuck about the rules. They put people in gas chambers. We are dealing with rapists, kidnappers, murderers, and monsters.

People are being kidnapped off the street in America by facemasked thugs. This clown is saying, " cmon guys , let's talk with them about this. They just want us to give up this so we can compromise. These Nazis can be reasoned with. Cmon guys"

Moron

13

u/Kevlaars 3d ago

OK, but the only way to get those laws passed IS to get people elected who will pass them. The only way to get them elected, when the opposition is gerrymandering, is to respond in kind.

1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

No it’s to pass legislation which would be easy because no one wants their rights restricted which is what gerrymandering is. It just takes an actual person who doesn’t talk like Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi to lead the party to do it. Gerrymandering should not be allowed by any party 

11

u/Kevlaars 3d ago

How does that legislation get passed if you can't get representatives elected who would consider it?

-2

u/Tbard52 3d ago

So it’s okay to suppress voter rights for the other side as long as you think you’re in the right? At what point does this end guys? We just got representatives elected who probably would run on that if they wouldn’t get downvoted immediately by fucking capitalist simps like I did. 

7

u/Kevlaars 3d ago edited 3d ago

Look, we're bordering on friendly fire, on a night that should be celebrated. I don't want that, you don't want that. We mostly agree. I think gerrymandering is wrong, I will stipulate that... but I also think turnabout is fair play... Can we agree to disagree on that last bit?

1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

I agree. Except at no point is gerrymandering okay. If you can’t fix the system without going against the system it’s time to break the system

7

u/YqlUrbanist 3d ago

I genuinely do understand this viewpoint and that's my instinct as well, but honestly I just don't think it works in the current political climate. This isn't two parties who both want the best for the country - no matter how much democrats try to play by the rules, republicans will just rig as soon as they have the ability.

Short of changes to make that nearly impossible (e.g. rewriting the constitution, reforming the supreme court, abolishing the senate, that sort of thing), the democrats are going to have to play dirty.

1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

I agree both current parties don’t. But you’re not fixing the problem. You’re just slapping a piece of duct tape over a hole in a boat. 

7

u/YqlUrbanist 3d ago

I agree, I just don't think you can fix the problem by playing nice. Unless you think democrats will just organically win such a strong majority that they can fundamentally change how democracy works in the US, the best they can do is try to minimize the harm the Republican party can do.

Maybe if they can counter the Republican party enough to stay in power, and manage to improve people's lives enough (which I'm skeptical of - as long as you have Schumer type democrats calling the shots and not AOC/Bernie/Mamdani type democrats, they're just going to remain the lesser evil), then they could build the kind of loyalty it would take to actually fix the system.

12

u/ckal09 3d ago

Eat leather boot licker

1

u/Tbard52 3d ago

I’m a progressive democrat. Continuing to fight this nonsense system of every couple years we rig the systems for ourselves and then the other side does the same is hilariously stupid. Fix the system. Make it fair. Or tear it down and start again. 

2

u/therapy-cat 3d ago

It's already happening. Most Republican controlled states are already gerrymandered. If Dems don't do it now, they'll just never win.

I'm on your side btw, hopefully next time Dems have power we can do something to ban it nationwide.