Former President Barack Obama is catching heat after giving a digital high-five to a controversial redistricting plan in Virginia that critics say slices up the state’s electorate like a political deli platter.
“Congratulations, Virginia!” Obama posted on X after voters narrowly signed off on a new congressional map poised to heavily favor Democrats. He didn’t stop there: “Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.”
That victory lap didn’t sit well with plenty of observers who see the plan as a masterclass in partisan mapmaking.
Here’s the rub: Virginia’s current congressional delegation is a tight 6–5 split favoring Democrats. The newly approved lines? They’re designed to stretch that into a lopsided 10–1 advantage. Critics say the oddly shaped districts snake out from Northern Virginia’s deep-blue stronghold, gobbling up surrounding regions to dilute Republican votes.
Translation, they argue: fewer competitive races, more predetermined outcomes.
Former Trump administration official Tricia McLaughlin torched the logic behind Obama’s celebration, writing, “Disenfranchising millions of voters and forcing 45% of Virginians to be represented by 1 congressional district and 55% represented by 10 is now ‘standing up for Democracy.’ Is that ‘equity?’ What a farce.”
Conservative commentator Michael Knowles put it more bluntly, paraphrasing the former president’s message as: “‘Congratulations, Virginia, you just disenfranchised virtually every Republican at the congressional level — democracy!’”
Others went even further. Turning Point USA contributor Savanah Hernandez claimed, “Every time a democrat says they’re ‘fighting for democracy’ it really means that as soon as they take power again they’ll do everything they can to attack, imprison and permanently silence their opposition.”
The outrage didn’t stop at pundits. Former Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl pointed to the numbers: “President Trump won 46% of the Vote in the State of Virginia” and “before this vote there were 6 Democrats and 5 Republicans representing the people in the house.” His verdict? “To ‘restore fairness’ the Dems will now carry the state 10-1. This is certainly a victory for democrats but how is it fair?”
Then came the receipts. Jeremy Redfern, a top aide to Florida’s Republican attorney general, resurfaced a 2020 Obama post that struck a very different tone: “Let’s guarantee that every citizen has equal representation in our government. And end partisan gerrymandering, so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians.”
That was then. This is now.
Meanwhile, Virginia Republicans are gearing up for a legal fight. Former GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin thanked voters who opposed what he called an “egregious power grab,” noting, “The race was much closer than the left expected because Virginians know a 10-1 map is not Virginia.”
He added a warning shot: “I urge the Virginia Supreme Court to rule against this unconstitutional process that will disenfranchise millions of Virginians.”
