President Donald Trump seems unlikely to insert himself into the ongoing redistricting fight in Virginia, despite requests from Republican leadership to campaign against the referendum vote next week.
According to two Trump world insiders, the White House has been under steady pressure from Republican officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), to do more to campaign against a Democratic-led constitutional amendment. If the Tuesday amendment is passed, it would allow the Democratic state legislature to temporarily bypass a bipartisan commission and redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Earlier this year, Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and the Democrat-controlled state legislature approved a map that would shift Virginia’s 11 congressional districts from a 6-5 Democratic split to a 10-1 Democratic majority.
However, according to sources, the president himself likely won’t travel or cut ads to meet Johnson’s request.
“I was hearing there was a lot of pressure on the White House to be more involved. I think it was coming from the speaker — that essentially these next [few] days have to be fully focused on making sure this does not pass,” one former Trump White House official told the Washington Examiner. “I’m assuming [Trump’s involvement] will only come in the form of a Truth [Social post]. I have not heard of any plans to travel to the Commonwealth.”
“There’s a very real chance that President Trump getting involved might galvanize an even greater turnout among Democrats,” a longtime, out-of-government Trump advisor added. “I expect him to sit this one out, especially after the public embarrassment we saw in Indiana last time,” referring to the failed redistricting attempt in the state last year that aimed to further tilt Indiana’s congressional map in Republicans’ favor.
White House officials declined to answer questions about Trump’s plans surrounding the referendum. Johnson’s office similarly declined to comment on Trump’s lack of involvement but did not deny pressuring the White House to publicly oppose the measure.
Vice President JD Vance briefly addressed the subject during a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia this week, calling on Virginia voters to oppose “the Obama-Spangberger redistricting plan.”
“Vote against it,” the vice president said in response to a question on the topic. “And frankly, the polls are moving in our direction a little bit. We just got to get out there and defeat that ballot measure.”
Still, Republicans, minus the White House’s “light touch,” are throwing “everything but the kitchen sink” at killing the referendum, as one veteran GOP operative described the situation, with Johnson and former Republican Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin working double time on the issue.
The pair headlined a rally this month opposing the gerrymandering push, pulling in half a million dollars.
“This is not a 10-1 state,” Johnson said during the rally in Great Falls. “They want to redraw the maps so that there’s 10 Democrats and only one Republican representing the state of Virginia.”
Youngkin has also been featured in the region in an ad campaign, airing on television and digital platforms, calling on Virginians to vote down the referendum.
Furthermore, Republican-friendly judicial groups, led by Honest Elections Project Action, submitted a brief to the Virginia Supreme Court this week, hoping to invalidate the amendment itself if approved during Tuesday’s vote. Opponents argue the amendment is illegal as Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and state Democrats originally passed the measure during an extended special session of the legislature.
“If you look at what the Constitution of Virginia requires and what the law requires, it’s very clear that what happened here was an illegally extended special session that essentially turned a part-time legislature into a full-time one,” Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead said of the brief in an interview with Fox News Digital on Friday. “They kept it open for nearly two years and then used that to push through a constitutional amendment — and we think that’s a blatant violation of the limits the Constitution puts on legislative power.”
But just like Republicans, Democrats have also fully leaned into the issue and raised significantly more money to do so — some $50 million as of Tuesday.
And on top of Spanberger’s public support, Democrats are getting an A-lister lift that could only possibly be countered by Trump himself.
Former President Barack Obama published a video, first shared with ABC News, on Friday morning, calling on Virginians to support Spanberger’s redrawn map.
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“By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms,” Obama said in the minute-long spot. “By voting yes, you can take a temporary step to level the playing field. And we’re counting on you.”
Recent polls published by George Mason University, Quantus Insights, and Virginia’s State Navigate all show the referendum passing by 5 points or less.